Heath Hyde, P.C. / Information for families
Family Member Information Hub
Texas arrest, jail, prison, and family-support resources in one place. Start with the situation your family is facing now.
Looking for the first step? The Family Arrest Guide covers the first hours. Still in custody after that? Go to the county-jail guide or the prison guide below. And the resource library sends you straight to the agencies and to family-support groups.
Everything here is general information. It isn’t legal advice. Reading it doesn’t make you a client, and nothing on this page promises a release or a result.
Where is your family in the process?
JUST ARRESTED
The first hours after an arrest
Begin with the Family Arrest Guide. It goes step by step: finding your person, writing down the details, what the first court steps look like, and getting ready to talk to a lawyer.
Read the Family Arrest GuideBAIL AND RELEASE QUESTIONS
Understanding bail and bond
What should you ask the lawyer and the jail about bail? This guide covers it. How the bond gets decided, the ways to post it, holds, and why release sometimes drags.
Read the Texas bail and bond guideSTILL IN COUNTY JAIL
Managing the weeks that follow
Once the first days are over, the daily stuff takes over. Jail calls. Visits. Commissary and mail. Worries about medication. Bills and kids at home. Keeping in touch with the defense lawyer.
Read the county-jail family guidePRISON OR LONGER-TERM CUSTODY
Staying connected and planning ahead
This guide pulls together what families ask about TDCJ and federal custody: visits, money and mail, family services, and reentry. Rules change, so check the agency itself for current instructions.
Read the prison and long-term custody guideFOR THE FAMILY OUTSIDE
Coping when someone you love is in jail
Just get through tomorrow. Split up the household jobs. Ask people for specific help. Set limits you can keep. And find some support for yourself, not only for the person inside.
Read the coping and family-support guideFind the right facility and source
A county jail, a Texas state prison and a federal facility each keep their own records. Not every lockup is TDCJ. Pick the directory that matches the system holding your person.
- County jail: use the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas directory to locate the relevant sheriff’s office.
- Texas state prison: use the TDCJ inmate search and TDCJ unit directory.
- Federal custody: use the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator and its coverage explanation.
For the firm’s existing reference tables, open the Texas correctional facility directory in the prison and jail guide. We keep it in one spot so you’re not comparing two copies that disagree.
Resources for the family outside
Finding the facility is only the start. You may want other families to talk to. You may need help making sense of an agency’s rules. Or you may have questions about conditions inside and not know where to begin.
In the library below, official sources are listed apart from independent support groups. Before you contact a group, read what it actually does. None of these replace advice from the lawyer on the criminal case.
For more on investigations, evidence and trial preparation, visit the East Texas Criminal Defense Knowledge Hub. For an existing overview of fees, see what can affect the cost of criminal defense.
Texas family resource library
For current rules and facility details, go to the agency. The nonprofits and family-support groups below are independent. They aren’t government agencies, and they aren’t run by this firm. Being listed here doesn’t mean you’ll qualify for help.
Finding someone in custody
- TDCJ Inmate Information Search
- Sheriffs' Association of Texas Directory
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator
- BOP locator coverage and limitations
- BOP Contact Directory
- TDCJ Unit Directory
- ICE detention management
Visitation, contact, money, and mail
- TDCJ General Information Guide for Families of Inmates (PDF)
- TDCJ Visitation
- TDCJ Online Visitation Portal
- TDCJ: Contacting Inmates
- TDCJ Commissary and Inmate Trust Fund
- TDCJ Book Policy
- TDCJ Population Types
- TDCJ Families hub
Rights, grievances, and oversight
- ACLU of Texas Civil Rights Resource Guide for Incarcerated Texans
- TDCJ Office of Family Services
- Texas Jail Project
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards: Complaints and Inquiries
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Family support, child support, and reentry
- Texas Incarcerated Families Association
- Texas State Law Library: Resources for Families of Inmates
- Northern District of Texas: Ongoing Support
- Texas OAG: Incarcerated Parents
- Texas Defender Service parole and reentry resource
- Texas Defender Service
Courts and statutes
- Texas Judicial Branch: Trial Courts
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
- Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 15.17
- Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 17.15
Rules and websites change. Before you drive out, send money, or trust a directory listing, confirm with the agency in charge.
Questions about a criminal case?
Contact Heath Hyde, P.C. to ask about a consultation, or read how the firm approaches criminal defense. Whether we can take a case depends on the facts, the jurisdiction, conflicts, scheduling, and the firm’s acceptance.
Resource navigation prepared by the Heath Hyde, P.C. editorial team. This page organizes existing guides and external resources; it does not certify an attorney review of linked material.