Lavaca County Inmate Population Overview
Lavaca County has one mapped local detention facility for this project: Lavaca County Jail, operated by the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office. The jail receives local arrests made by the sheriff's office and city police agencies in places such as Hallettsville, Yoakum, Shiner, and Moulton. The Lavaca County inmate population in the local jail is not the same as the state prison population. People awaiting trial, serving short local sentences, held on warrants, or waiting on transfer may appear in the county jail data. Sentenced Texas prisoners are searched through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmate search.
The public count changes as arrests, bond orders, court hearings, transfers, and releases occur. A small jail can move from a light count to a tight count quickly because each new booking is a large share of the total bed space. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is the main public source for Lavaca County jail capacity and population reporting. The sheriff's official roster is the main local source for a person-level lookup.
Lavaca County Inmate Population Statistics
The latest research file uses Texas Commission on Jail Standards population reports downloaded June 30, 2026. In the June 1, 2026 current population report, Lavaca County Jail was listed with 39 inmates and 48 rated beds. The related incarceration-rate file listed an average daily population of 40 and a countywide population base of 20,605. Those numbers show a small jail that was below rated capacity but not far from it.
| Measure | Figure | Source and Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rated bed capacity | 48 beds | TCJS PopRptCurrent.xlsx, Lavaca row, June 1, 2026 |
| Current jail population | 39 inmates | TCJS PopRptCurrent.xlsx, Lavaca row, June 1, 2026 |
| Occupancy ratio | 81.25% | TCJS PopRptCurrent.xlsx, Lavaca row, June 1, 2026 |
| Average daily population | 40 | TCJS IncarcerationRateCurrent.xlsx, June 1, 2026 |
| Incarceration rate | 1.94 | TCJS IncarcerationRateCurrent.xlsx, June 1, 2026 |
| Immigration-detainer inmates | 3 inmates | TCJS ImmigrationRateCurrent.xlsx, June 1, 2026 |
The official TCJS population-report hub is the best source for fresh county jail count spreadsheets. The screenshot below shows the state reporting page used for Lavaca County population and capacity checks.
Use the TCJS spreadsheets for population trends and the Lavaca County Jail roster for person-specific custody lookup.
Lavaca County Inmate Population Trends
The Lavaca County inmate population rose from the early 2024 baseline in the TCJS rate file to about 40 average daily inmates by June 2026. The research does not tie that rise to a single policy, bond change, jail project, or enforcement trend. The sound reading is narrower: the official rate file shows the count moved upward, and the county's small capacity means a shift of five to ten people has a visible effect.
| Date | ADP | Incarceration Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 1, 2024 | 29 | 1.41 | Lower 2024 baseline |
| Jun. 1, 2024 | 33 | 1.60 | Gradual rise in 2024 |
| Jan. 1, 2025 | 38 | 1.85 | Higher than early 2024 |
| Jun. 1, 2025 | 40 | 1.94 | Similar to June 2026 ADP |
| Jan. 1, 2026 | 37 | 1.80 | Start of 2026 |
| Jun. 1, 2026 | 40 | 1.94 | Latest current rate file in research |
Note: The TCJS file reports counts and rates, but it does not explain why the Lavaca County inmate population changed.
Who Makes Up Lavaca County Jail Population
The TCJS row gives custody and legal categories, not a simple demographic chart. It lists local pretrial misdemeanor and felony categories, parole or blue-warrant categories, bench-warrant and other reported categories, and immigration-detainer data in a separate report. The public jail roster adds person-level fields such as age, race, sex, and admit date, but the research did not aggregate those rows into countywide age or race totals.
- Pretrial inmates: The TCJS row included local pretrial misdemeanor and felony categories for Lavaca County.
- Warrant and hold cases: The research notes bench warrants, parole or blue-warrant holds, and other agency holds can affect custody.
- Immigration detainers: The June 2026 TCJS immigration report listed 3 inmates and 64 prisoner days.
- City arrests: Roster detail can show city arresting agencies, including the Yoakum PD sample in the research.
Lavaca County Jail Capacity Rules
Lavaca County Jail's 48-bed capacity is reported through the state jail-standard system. Texas Government Code Chapter 511 creates the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and gives it authority over county jail standards and inspections. That makes TCJS the state-level reference for capacity, inspection, and population reporting rather than a private estimate or a local rumor.
Key statutes:
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 is the Texas Public Information Act, the base law for public access to government records.
Texas Government Code Section 552.029 requires release of listed basic inmate information despite some law-enforcement exceptions.
Code of Criminal Procedure Article 49.18 covers custodial death reporting, an accountability rule tied to jail custody.
Search Lavaca County Jail Roster
The official local search starts on the Lavaca County Sheriff page, which links to the county jail inmate portal. The portal is titled "Lavaca County Jail" and has Inmates, Charges, and Days modes. It had no login prompt or fee prompt during the research inspection. Use it for current county jail custody before moving to TDCJ, BOP, or ICE systems.
- Open the sheriff page and choose the County Jail Inmate Search link, or go directly to the official jail portal.
- Use the Inmates search box by name. Autocomplete begins after two characters.
- Choose View all inmates if the spelling is uncertain, then filter the current-inmates grid.
- Click a full name to open the inmate-detail page and review charges, bond, admit data, and photo status.
- Use the jail phone or VINELink when the roster is down, delayed, or not enough to answer the custody question.
The official current-inmates grid is shown below. It is the roster view used for name, age, race, sex, and admit-date filtering.
The grid is only one layer. A detail page can add the mugshot area, physical description, confining agency, charge table, bond, and arresting agency.
Lavaca County Roster Search Fields
The Lavaca County inmate population portal has several paths because people do not always know the same facts. Name search is the most direct path, but charge description and recent-days search can help when the name spelling is incomplete or when the arrest is recent.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| By name | Text with autocomplete | Unspecified | Autocomplete starts after 2 characters; button label is Search. |
| By charge description | Text with autocomplete | Unspecified | Useful when the offense is known but the name spelling is not. |
| Over the last number of days | Number | Unspecified | Placeholder shows 5 for recent booking searches. |
| Full Name, Age, Race, Sex | Grid filters | Optional | Filter row appears in the current-inmates grid. |
| Admit Date | Date picker | Optional | Calendar filter uses M/d/yyyy formatting. |
Lavaca County Inmate Record Fields
A Lavaca County inmate record has a public grid level and a profile level. The grid helps confirm a likely match. The profile may show the data created during booking and charging. Because releases, bond changes, and court action can move faster than public web pages, the jail line remains the fallback for live status.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Search-result identity and link to the detail page. |
| Age, Race, Sex | Basic identifying fields shown on the grid and profile. |
| Admit Date and Time | When the person entered jail custody, if shown. |
| Mugshot | Booking-photo area on the profile when an image is available. |
| Charge and Offense Date | Booking charge description and date tied to the alleged offense. |
| Bond and Bond Type | Per-charge bond data, such as a surety bond entry. |
| Charging and Arresting Agency | Local agency context, such as Lavaca or a city police department. |
Lavaca County Custody Lookup Boundaries
Custody systems split by legal status. A person booked after a local arrest may appear on the Lavaca County Jail roster. A person sentenced to state prison should be searched in TDCJ. A federal sentence belongs in the BOP locator, while immigration custody is searched through ICE. The county jail roster may show a hold or detainer, but that does not turn the county roster into the federal system of record.
| Custody Type | Best Search Channel | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail pretrial or local custody | Lavaca County Jail roster | Current local inmates, charges, bonds, admit data, and profile fields. |
| Sentenced Texas prisoner | TDCJ inmate search | People currently incarcerated in a TDCJ facility. |
| Federal prisoner | BOP inmate locator | Federal prisoners, not routine Lavaca County jail bookings. |
| Immigration custody | ICE detainee locator | ICE custody searched by A-number or biographical information. |
Lavaca County Booking and Bond
Booking creates the jail record. The Lavaca detail sample documented an admit date, admit time, physical description, confining agency, charge table, offense date, bond amount, bond type, charging agency, and arresting agency. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 15.17 requires an arrested person to be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay, generally no later than 48 hours after arrest. That early court event is where rights warnings and bail issues begin.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, when the custody record is created or updated.
- Bond
- A court-set amount or condition for release while the case is pending.
- Detainer
- A notice or request from another agency with a custody interest.
- PR bond
- Release on written promise and conditions, without paying the full cash amount.
For court filings after an arrest, use the clerk and court channels rather than treating the booking record as the final case record. The Lavaca County court records after jail arrest page covers that route.
Lavaca County Public Records Requests
If the roster does not show an older booking, released person, booking photo, arrest report, or jail record, use the Texas Public Information Act route. The sheriff page links a public-records fee chart, though the research could not extract exact fee text from the PDF. A good request identifies the person, date range, record type, arresting agency, and any known case or booking number. Narrow requests work better than broad requests.
Court records take a different path. The county clerk page lists an open-records email and county-court contact information, while the district clerk page covers district criminal cases, copies, search fees, and criminal e-filing notices. The jail can confirm custody and local booking status, but the clerk's office is the better source for filed charges, case numbers, dispositions, and copies.
Lavaca County Detention Facilities
The facility map found no separate county jail annex, work-release center, regional jail, state prison, BOP prison, or ICE detention center physically inside Lavaca County. The mapped detention facility for local custody is the Lavaca County Jail. State, federal, and immigration locators remain important because custody may change after booking.
- Lavaca County Jail - the county jail for local pretrial detainees, misdemeanor inmates, felony pretrial detainees, warrant holds, and other reported holds.
Lavaca County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Lavaca County inmate population? The June 1, 2026 TCJS current population report listed 39 inmates at Lavaca County Jail. The related rate file listed an average daily population of 40.
How do I search the Lavaca County inmate population? Start with the sheriff-linked Lavaca County Jail portal. Search by name, charge description, or days back, then open the inmate detail page for charges and bond data.
Does Lavaca County have more than one detention facility? The research found one mapped facility for this project, Lavaca County Jail. No separate local jail annex, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center was located inside the county.
Where are sentenced prisoners listed? Sentenced Texas prisoners are searched through TDCJ, not the county jail roster. Federal and immigration custody use BOP and ICE tools.