Once you’re arrested, you’ll be taken to the Joint Processing Center in downtown Houston, which is where all arrestees are booked before being given a bed at the Harris County Jail.
When you arrive at the Joint Processing Center, you’ll have your mugshot taken and be fingerprinted, and interviewed by a pretrial services officer to help the judge determine your bail and have your property inventoried.
Within 24 hours for misdemeanors or 48 hours for felonies, you’ll appear in front of a judge for a probable cause hearing. You’ll be informed what you’re charged with and a prosecutor will read a summary of what the police believe you did. At this hearing, a public defender will represent you for free. (You can also have your private attorney attend this hearing, but it’s incredibly rare for arrestees to hire a lawyer within hours of their arrest.)
The judge will decide whether there is probable cause to hold you. If jthe udge finds no probable cause, you’ll be released.
If the judge finds probable cause, the judge will set a bond in your case. For less serious cases, the judge may release you for free on a “PR bond.” For more serious cases, the judge will set a dollar amount for your bond. The public defender will try to get you as low a bond as possible.
You’ll either need to pay the full amount in cash or hire a bonding company, which usually charges 10% of the amount and puts up the remaining 90%, for you to be released on bond.
If your case involves an alleged victim, you may have to sign a protective order requiring you to stay away from that person.
If you don’t make bond, you’ll be given an orange jumpsuit and a bed at the jail.
Your case will be randomly assigned to one of the 16 misdemeanor or 29 felony courts and you’ll be given a court date. If you’re still in jail, you’ll be brought to the courtroom. If you bond out, you’ll need to show up to court on your own. If you don’t, your bond could be revoked and a warrant issued for your arrest.