Juvenile Detention Center

The Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center is operated within the county’s juvenile justice system and provides secure detention, education, health care, visitation, and related services for children in custody. This article explains the detention center’s role, how it connects with the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department, how visitation works, who may visit, what identification and approvals are required, how special visits are handled, what families should expect from facility rules, and which county office to contact for detention or probation matters.

Detention Center Services

The Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center is part of the Bexar County Juvenile Probation system. The county describes the facility’s mission as creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment while providing a program intended to support the body, mind, and spirit of each child in its care.

The detention center has a rated capacity of 278. It is a secure juvenile facility rather than a general Juvenile Probation office, so families should distinguish between questions about a child who is being detained and routine administrative matters handled by the Juvenile Probation Department. The county maintains separate facility and department contact information for those purposes.

Several services are provided to detained children while they are at the facility. Educational services are provided by the San Antonio Independent School District. Medical, dental, and mental health services are provided through University Health System Detention Health Care Services.

The facility’s medical section includes individual rooms used for physical examinations, suicide-prevention observation, medical observation, respiratory isolation, and dental services. The county states that the medical section has around-the-clock availability. These services are part of the detention facility’s operation and should not be confused with outside medical appointments or services available through other county departments.

Role of Juvenile Probation

The Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department is a fundamental part of the county juvenile justice system. According to the county, juvenile offenders are referred to the department when they are accused of a criminal offense. If a child is found to have committed delinquent conduct and the court orders probation, the department supervises the child.

This distinction matters for families dealing with the detention center. Detention staff are responsible for the secure facility and its day-to-day operations, while a juvenile’s Probation Officer plays an important role in approvals and coordination involving visitation. Several types of visits cannot be arranged simply by arriving at the detention center. They must first be discussed with the Probation Officer, who then communicates with Detention Administration when approval is required.

The county’s Juvenile Probation contact page identifies the department’s central administrative office and lists the Chief Probation Officer and other administrative officials. Families seeking department-level assistance should use Juvenile Probation rather than assuming that every juvenile justice question is handled through the detention facility itself.

Facility Location and Identification

The Juvenile Detention Center is one of several Bexar County Juvenile Probation locations. The county’s Juvenile Probation locations directory separately identifies the Juvenile Detention Center, the Mission Road Center, the Andy Mireles Center, the Frank Tejeda Juvenile Justice Center, the Krier Center, probation units, and other facilities.

Because several juvenile justice facilities operate in San Antonio, families should confirm that they are going to the Juvenile Detention Center rather than another Juvenile Probation location. The detention center and the central Juvenile Probation office do not use the same street address. Exact addresses and phone numbers are provided in the department list at the end of this article.

This distinction is especially useful when a person has been given the name of a Probation Officer, needs to attend visitation, or is trying to contact Juvenile Probation administration. A detention-related visit belongs at the detention center, while broader probation administration is handled through the Juvenile Probation Department.

Regular Visitation Schedule

Bexar County publishes a dedicated juvenile detention visitation page with the current schedule and facility rules. Regular visitation is held Tuesday through Thursday, with the assigned day determined by the first letter of the juvenile’s last name. Friday is reserved for special visits that have received advance approval.

Regular visitation hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Visits are scheduled in 30-minute sessions, and only one visit is permitted on a scheduled day. The county encourages visitors to arrive beginning at 3:30 p.m. on the appropriate visitation day. Visitation ends promptly at 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Juveniles whose last names begin with A through I.
Wednesday: Juveniles whose last names begin with J through Q.
Thursday: Juveniles whose last names begin with R through Z.
Friday: Preapproved special visits from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Visitors should use the juvenile’s last name, not the visitor’s last name, when determining the correct regular visitation day. Arriving on the wrong day may mean that the visit does not fall within the county’s published schedule.

Visit Length and Arrival

Each scheduled visit is limited to 30 minutes. The county allows one visit per scheduled day, so families should not assume they can arrange multiple separate sessions during the same evening.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive beginning at 3:30 p.m. Although regular visitation begins later, arriving at the time recommended by the county gives visitors an opportunity to handle the scheduling process before their session. The county states that the evening schedule ends promptly at 8:30 p.m.

Who May Visit

Visitation is limited. The county rules identify biological parents, legal custodial guardians, and qualifying spouses of the juvenile as the categories permitted to visit. Extended family relationships alone do not establish regular in-person visitation eligibility under the published rules.

Parents and Legal Guardians

Biological parents and legal custodial guardians must have current and valid identification. They also must be preapproved by the juvenile’s Probation Officer. A person should not assume that being a parent or guardian by itself eliminates the approval requirement.

Because Probation Officer approval is specifically required, questions about approval should be addressed through the juvenile’s Probation Officer rather than treated as a walk-in issue on the evening of visitation.

Spouses of Juveniles

A husband or wife of a juvenile may visit only when the county’s stated requirements are met. The spouse must have a valid marriage license, current and valid identification, and written approval from the juvenile’s Probation Officer.

The county expressly states that common-law marriages are not honored for juvenile detention visitation. A person seeking visitation as the juvenile’s spouse therefore should not rely on a common-law relationship as a substitute for the valid marriage license required under the facility rules.

Grandparents and Siblings

The published visitation rules distinguish in-person visitation from approved telephone contact. Grandparents may be added to the approved call list for daily incentive calls and for Saturday and Sunday mod calls.

The rules also address certain siblings for telephone calls. Approved siblings over age 21 and under age 10 may participate if they are on the approved visitor or phone list and are with the parent or guardian. These provisions concern approved calls and should not be interpreted as creating regular in-person visitation rights for grandparents or siblings.

Identification and Approval Rules

Current and valid identification is a core requirement for approved parents, legal custodial guardians, and spouses. Spouses have additional documentation requirements because a valid marriage license and written Probation Officer approval are required.

Visitors should make sure the approval process has been addressed before planning around a visitation date. The facility rules place the Probation Officer in the approval process for parents, guardians, and spouses, and some unusual visitation arrangements require further review by Detention Administration.

Documents for a Spouse

A spouse seeking a visit should be prepared for the specific documentation identified by Bexar County:

A valid marriage license.
Current and valid identification.
Written approval from the juvenile’s Probation Officer.

These requirements apply together. The county does not state that one document may replace another.

Separated and Divorced Parents

The rules include specific procedures for divorced or separated parents. The county states that divorced or separated parents may visit together unless circumstances exist that could create a conflict.

When separated or divorced parents are unable to visit together, separate arrangements may be made. The county gives an example in which a father and stepmother visit one week and the mother and stepfather visit the following week. One parent may visit one week and the other parent the next.

Divorced parents may also choose to visit together, but the county specifies that this arrangement is for the mother and father without stepparents. Parents who need separate visitation should communicate their request to the juvenile’s Probation Officer. The Probation Officer then contacts Detention Administration to coordinate the visits.

This coordination requirement is important because a family should not create its own alternating schedule and assume the facility will recognize it automatically. The published process requires the request to go through the Probation Officer.

Special Friday Visits

Friday visitation is not part of the ordinary last-name schedule. Fridays are reserved for special visits that have been approved in advance, and the Friday visitation period is from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

A request for visitation outside the regular schedule must first be made through the juvenile’s Probation Officer. The Probation Officer requests approval from the Detention Administrator, and Detention Administration has final discretion over the request.

For a Friday special visit, the Probation Officer contacts Detention Administration and sends a detailed request to the Facility Administrator and Assistant Facility Administrator for review and approval. A family member therefore should not treat Friday as an open alternative when Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday is inconvenient.

Visits that do not fit the published rules also require Detention Administration approval. The approval requirement applies before the special visit takes place.

Items Prohibited During Visits

Bexar County prohibits visitors from passing any item to a child during visitation. The rule is broad and should be treated literally: nothing may be passed from the visitor to the juvenile.

The county gives examples of contraband that include letters, pictures, candy, cell phones, and narcotics. These examples do not change the broader rule prohibiting items from being passed to the child.

If contraband is seen, found, or given to a juvenile, the county states that visitation privileges will be suspended. The conduct may also be referred to law enforcement and may result in criminal charges.

Visitors should therefore avoid bringing something with the intention of handing it directly to the juvenile, even if the item appears ordinary or harmless. Letters and photographs, for example, are specifically included in the county’s examples of prohibited items when passed during visitation.

Suspended Visitation Privileges

The county places responsibility on the visitor to contact Detention Administration when visitation privileges need to be reinstated. The current county visitation webpage directs visitors to Detention Administration after a suspension of visitation privileges.

The county also publishes an April 2024 detention visitation rules document. Visitors reviewing printed or saved instructions should be aware that the PDF and the county’s current online visitation information contain different contact numbers for reinstatement requests. The current visitation webpage and detention center page identify the detention center number provided in the final contact list below, while the April 2024 PDF lists a different number for reinstatement requests. Using the current county visitation webpage before making contact can help avoid relying on an older saved document.

Juveniles May Decline Visits

Visitation is voluntary for the juvenile. Even when a visitor is otherwise approved and arrives during the proper visitation period, the juvenile may decline to meet with that person.

If a juvenile declines a visit, the county states that the visitor may contact administration to have visits reinstated. The fact that a visitor was previously approved does not override the juvenile’s choice not to participate in a particular visit.

Common Visitation Mistakes

Many avoidable problems come from treating juvenile detention visitation like general visiting hours at a public office. The detention center uses eligibility rules, approval requirements, a last-name schedule, fixed session lengths, and strict restrictions on what may be passed to a juvenile.

Visitors can reduce problems by avoiding several common mistakes:

Using the visitor’s last name instead of the juvenile’s last name to choose Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

Assuming any relative may visit because of a family relationship.

Arriving as a parent or guardian without the required Probation Officer preapproval.

Attempting to visit as a spouse without a valid marriage license, current identification, and written Probation Officer approval.

Relying on a common-law marriage for spouse visitation.

Trying to arrange a Friday visit without advance special-visit approval.

Passing letters, photographs, candy, phones, or any other item directly to the juvenile.

Assuming grandparents or siblings have ordinary in-person visitation because they may qualify for approved telephone contact.

Creating a separate visitation schedule for divorced or separated parents without coordinating the request through the Probation Officer.

Expecting more than one visit on the same scheduled visitation day.

Detention and Probation Contacts

The Juvenile Detention Center and Juvenile Probation Department serve related but different functions. For detention visitation, facility rules, and matters specifically involving the secure detention center, families should use the detention center contact. For Juvenile Probation administration and department-level matters, the Juvenile Probation office has a separate location and phone number.

When a visitation request requires approval, the juvenile’s Probation Officer is a key point in the process. Requests for unusual schedules, separate arrangements for divorced or separated parents, and special Friday visits all involve Probation Officer coordination before Detention Administration makes or implements the required decision.

Departments and Offices

Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center
600 Mission Road
San Antonio, TX 78210
210-335-7600

Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department
301 East Mitchell
San Antonio, TX 78210
210-335-7500

Juvenile Detention Center FAQs

Are Juvenile Probation office hours the same as detention operations?

No. The Bexar County Juvenile Probation administrative office publishes regular weekday business hours and is closed on county holidays, while detention-related activities follow separate facility procedures and schedules. Families should not assume that an administrative office closure automatically means that every detention function follows the same schedule. For matters involving the facility, check the county’s Juvenile Detention Center information rather than relying on the general Juvenile Probation office schedule.

Why do several juvenile facilities have similar addresses?

Bexar County operates multiple Juvenile Probation locations in San Antonio, and some are located close together or even share the same street address. The county’s directory lists both the Juvenile Detention Center and Mission Road Center at 600 Mission Road, but identifies them as separate locations. Other facilities, including the Frank Tejeda Juvenile Justice Center, Krier Center, Juvenile Justice Academy, and probation units, have their own listings. Checking the official Juvenile Probation locations directory can help families confirm the correct facility before traveling.

Where should families verify the latest detention rules?

The county maintains both an online detention page and a dedicated visitation page, and it also publishes a dated detention visitation document. Because a PDF may remain available after information on the website has been updated, families should review the current Bexar County visitation page before relying on a saved or printed copy of older instructions. The dated document can still be useful for understanding detailed procedures, but current online information is the better place to check for changes.

Are detention services handled by only one county department?

No. Bexar County Juvenile Probation operates the detention facility, but some services for detained children are provided through other public agencies. The county identifies San Antonio Independent School District as the education provider and University Health System Detention Health Care Services as the provider of medical, dental, and mental health services. This means questions involving schooling, health care, probation supervision, and facility administration may involve different parts of the juvenile justice system rather than a single office.