When a person is brought into the Hays County Jail facility, they will need to be processed (booked). This includes being searched, having the arrest report completed, and being fingerprinted and photographed. How long this takes depends on how many people are being processed at that time, and how cooperative the individual is. Uncooperative or intoxicated individuals will be processed as soon as the booking officer is able to do so. Individuals are processed in the order that they are brought in.

After processing, individuals are then placed into a holding cell pending magistration (times vary and depends on the Judge’s schedule). Magistration is the procedure where a person who is charged with an offense is brought before a Magistrate (Judge) and the Magistrate informs the person of his/her Constitutional Rights and of the charge/charges that have been brought against him/her and sets the Bail amount.

Jail Division – Frequently Asked Questions