The Goliad County Inmate Population
The Goliad County inmate population is centered on one local facility: Goliad County Jail. The facility is operated by the Goliad County Sheriff's Office and serves as the county jail for arrest intake, pretrial felony and misdemeanor custody, bench-warrant holds, local misdemeanor commitments, short county sentences, and people waiting on transfer to another authority. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, often called TCJS, is the state source for county jail capacity and population figures. The June 2026 TCJS current population file lists Goliad County Jail with 48 beds and a total jail population of 20 on the inspected current row.
That count is not the same as every person with a Goliad County case. A person arrested in Goliad County may start at the jail, then be released, transferred to another county, sentenced to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, held in a federal process, or routed through immigration custody. A few bookings or transfers can change the Goliad County inmate population fast because the county is small. The TCJS incarceration-rate workbook used a countywide population of 7,221 for the June 2026 current series and reported an average daily population of 15.
Goliad County Inmate Population Statistics
The most useful current snapshot comes from the TCJS June 2026 population and incarceration-rate spreadsheets. Those files are based on county jail submissions, and TCJS notes that each submitting department is responsible for data accuracy and quality. For Goliad County, the current-population row shows a jail far below its listed capacity: 20 people in a 48-bed jail, or 41.7 percent of capacity. The separate incarceration-rate workbook reports ADP, which means average daily population, as 15 for the current June 2026 row.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 48 beds | TCJS PopRptCurrent.xlsx, June 2026 current file |
| Total jail population | 20 | TCJS PopRptCurrent.xlsx, Goliad row, June 1, 2026 interpreted date |
| Average daily population | 15 | TCJS IncarcerationRateCurrent.xlsx, June 2026 current series |
| Percent of capacity | 41.7% | TCJS current population row, 20 divided by 48 |
| Incarceration rate | 2.08 | TCJS IncarcerationRateCurrent.xlsx, Goliad row |
| Countywide population used by TCJS | 7,221 | TCJS incarceration-rate workbook, June 2026 current series |
The TCJS population reports page is the state-level source for current and historical county jail population files. The current Goliad row does not provide annual bookings, average length of stay, race, age bands, or a sheriff annual-report dashboard. Those figures should not be guessed from the jail count.
Goliad County Inmate Population Trends
The inspected TCJS incarceration-rate rows show a clear small-county trend. Goliad County's average daily population was higher through several 2024 rows, then declined during 2025 and early 2026. The workbook shows ADP near 27 in May and August 2024, down to 19 by late 2025, then 15 in April, May, and June 2026. Because the jail is small, a handful of cases can change the rate. A transfer to TDCJ, release on bond, or new group of arrests can move the Goliad County inmate population without any building change.
| Date / Period | ADP | Countywide Population | Incarceration Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 2024 | 21 | 7,144 | 2.94 | Early row in inspected current rate workbook |
| May 2024 | 27 | 7,144 | 3.78 | High value in inspected segment |
| Nov. 2024 | 26 | 7,144 | 3.64 | Slight decline from spring and summer |
| May 2025 | 21 | 7,144 | 2.94 | Lower than 2024 peak rows |
| Nov. 2025 | 19 | 7,221 | 2.63 | Population denominator changed in later rows |
| Feb. 2026 | 17 | 7,221 | 2.35 | Continued decline |
| Jun. 2026 | 15 | 7,221 | 2.08 | Current inspected row |
Local enforcement context may help explain why even a rural jail can see swings. Sheriff Roy Boyd stated in July 2025 Senate testimony that Goliad is a rural county of about 7,000 people along U.S. Highway 59, about halfway between Houston and Laredo and about 160 miles from Mexico. In that testimony, he said the sheriff's office averaged 77 arrests per year in the five years before 2021 and 413 arrests per year from 2021 through 2024. That is arrest-workload context from the sheriff's testimony, not a TCJS jail-count figure.
Goliad County Jail Population Makeup
TCJS reports Goliad County Jail through custody categories instead of a public person-by-person roster. The current June 2026 row includes local pretrial Class A/B misdemeanants, local pretrial felons, contract pretrial felons, and small hold or state-jail related categories. The inspected row lists 1 local male pretrial Class A/B misdemeanant, 8 local male pretrial felons, 2 local female pretrial felons, and 5 contract male pretrial felons. It also includes a local male parole-violator or new-charge category count of 1 in one inspected column.
The same research did not locate a sheriff-published breakdown by race, age, average length of stay, or charge group. That limit matters. The current TCJS data is mostly a custody-category and sex-by-category snapshot, so it should not be treated as a full demographic report. The county jail holds people before trial, people serving short local sentences, and some people awaiting movement to another agency. Once a sentenced person enters TDCJ, that person belongs to the state prison search path, not the local jail population count.
- ADP
- Average daily population, a rolling jail-population measure reported in the TCJS incarceration-rate file.
- Pretrial
- A person held before the criminal case is resolved, often while bond, court dates, or holds are pending.
- Detainer or hold
- A request or legal basis from another authority that may affect release, transfer, or where to search next.
- TDCJ
- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the state system for sentenced prison custody.
Goliad County Jail Capacity
Goliad County Jail is reported by TCJS as a 48-bed facility. The current June 2026 TCJS row showed 20 people in custody and a 41.7 percent capacity figure. No official Goliad County jail construction project, closure, consent decree, Department of Justice investigation, or current jail-overcrowding lawsuit was located in the inspected sources. The current data is below capacity, but that does not mean each housing area is open or that every bed is used in the same way. Classification, sex separation, medical needs, court holds, and safety rules can affect bed use inside a small jail.
The sheriff jail page says the jail's purpose is to safely and securely detain and house people charged with violating applicable laws. It also emphasizes professional correctional staff and facility control. The page does not publish pod layout, construction year, visitor lobby hours, mail rules, commissary vendor, or a public inspection narrative. TCJS remains the state standards and population source for county jail capacity in Texas.
Goliad County Inmate Population Laws
Texas law frames both access to jail records and the rules that govern county jail operation. In Goliad County, the local records route starts with the sheriff's Services page, which says requests for criminal records on file with the Goliad County Sheriff's Office must be submitted in writing using the open-records form. The broader public-access rule is the Texas Public Information Act. Access can still be limited by active-investigation, privacy, juvenile, medical, victim, or other confidentiality rules.
Key Statutes and Rules:
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 sets the Public Information Act framework for public records held by Texas government bodies.
Texas Government Code Chapter 511 creates and empowers the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for county jail regulation.
Texas Administrative Code Title 37, Chapter 265 covers county jail admission, release, and records rules.
Texas Administrative Code Title 37, Chapter 273 covers health-service standards for county jails.
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 49.18 requires death-in-custody reporting to the Texas Attorney General.
Booking and release decisions also connect to criminal procedure. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 15.17 governs magistrate warnings after arrest, and Chapter 17 governs bail and bond. Those laws explain why a person may be booked into Goliad County Jail, see a magistrate, receive bond conditions, remain on a hold, or move out of county custody.
Goliad County Jail Work Detail
The strongest local program detail in the researched materials is the Inmate Work Detail Crew. The sheriff jail page says inmates classified as minimum security risk may have the opportunity to work outside the jail on a crew supervised by an officer. The work is described as county service, including landscaping, trash pickup for commissioner precincts, small construction projects, and similar tasks. That is a jail program detail, not evidence of a separate work-release building.
The Goliad County Sheriff's Office jail page shows the local facility narrative and identifies Gary Diaz as Jail Administrator.
The image matches the jail-source page used for local custody function, jail administration, and the minimum-security work-detail program.
Search Goliad County Inmate Population
No official searchable Goliad County Jail roster, booking report, or public inmate-profile database was located on the county website or sheriff website during the research. That changes the search workflow. A Goliad County inmate lookup should start with current custody confirmation by phone or VINELink, then move to a written records request for sheriff-held booking records. The official county sheriff page links users to VINELink to check offender custody status, making that the clearest online custody-status path documented by the county when no local roster is posted.
Use the source that matches the custody stage. A new local arrest is a county jail question. A sentenced state-prison term is a TDCJ question. A sentenced federal prisoner is a BOP question. Immigration detention is an ICE question. Court charges after arrest belong with the District & County Clerk or re:SearchTX, not the jail line.
- Call Goliad County Jail at 361-645-8259 for immediate custody, bond, release timing, visit-entry, or housing confirmation.
- Check VINELink Texas for custody status or notification registration if a matching record is available.
- For a booking or sheriff criminal record, use the sheriff's written open-records process through the Services page and request form.
- For a sentenced state-prison inmate, search the TDCJ inmate search instead of the county jail.
- For federal or immigration custody, use BOP, U.S. Marshals regional routing, or ICE ODLS based on the case stage.
Note: The absence of an official online Goliad roster means a name not found online is not proof that the person was never booked.
Goliad County Jail Records Requests
The sheriff's Services page gives the local process for sheriff-held criminal records. It states that the public may request copies of criminal records on file with the Goliad County Sheriff's Office, but records for offenses in other counties and states cannot be obtained through the Goliad office. It also says all records requests must be submitted in writing using the Open Records Request form provided by the office. Submission methods listed in the research are in person, fax, email, or U.S. mail. The sheriff fax number is 361-645-2230.
A records request should identify the person and the record sought. Useful details include full name, date of birth if known, arrest or booking date, arresting agency, and whether the request is for a booking record, offense report, jail record, or booking photograph. The request process is for records. It is not the fastest path for a live release question, bond status, or a newly booked person. For those, call the jail line first.
| Need | Best Goliad Path | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Current custody | Jail phone, 361-645-8259 | Fastest official local route for a current hold |
| Online status or notifications | VINELink Texas | Linked from the official county sheriff page |
| Booking or sheriff record | Written open-records request | Required by the sheriff Services page for criminal records on file |
| Filed court charges | District & County Clerk or re:SearchTX | Court records are separate from jail custody records |
Goliad County Roster Status
A county roster search-field table is not available because no official public Goliad County Jail roster/search form was located. That is the key Goliad search fact. For public access, Goliad's official online pattern is phone, VINELink, and written records requests rather than a public booking screen with local inmate profile pages. Booking photos are similar. No official Goliad County Jail online mugshot gallery, recent-bookings feed, or daily booking report was located.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Goliad Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| County roster fields | Not available | Not available | No official Goliad County Jail public roster/search form was located. |
| VINELink state portal | Portal/search flow | Varies | Use Texas and the relevant person or agency filters where the portal offers them. |
| Written records request | Form/request | Yes for sheriff records | Use the sheriff open-records form and provide clear identifying details. |
Goliad County Jail vs TDCJ
Goliad County Jail and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice cover different parts of custody. The county jail is the local intake and detention facility. TDCJ is the state prison system for people sentenced and transferred into state custody, including state prison, state jail, SAFP, ISF, or another TDCJ placement. No TDCJ state prison was located in Goliad County through the TDCJ unit directory, so no separate state-prison facility page should be treated as part of the local facility list.
| Question | Goliad County Jail | TDCJ State Prison |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | New arrests, pretrial detainees, local misdemeanor custody, county holds, people awaiting transfer | Sentenced state prisoners and people assigned to TDCJ custody |
| Operator | Goliad County Sheriff's Office | Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| Search route | Jail phone, VINELink, written open-records request | TDCJ inmate search by name, TDCJ number, SID, gender, or race |
| What records show | Custody, booking, charge allegation, bond, hold, or release information when available | Unit, offense, sentence, county of conviction, projected release, and parole data when available |
Goliad County Federal Search
Federal and immigration searches should not be mixed with the Goliad County inmate population count. The BOP inmate locator covers sentenced federal prisoners and some former federal prisoners. It does not cover ordinary Goliad County jail bookings and generally does not provide public booking mugshots. Federal pretrial detainees often move through U.S. Marshals arrangements, and the research points to the U.S. Marshals Southern District of Texas as the regional routing source rather than a Goliad-specific contract.
ICE detention is separate too. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System is searched by A-Number and country of birth, or by biographical fields such as first name, last name, country of birth, and date of birth. No ICE detention facility was located in Goliad County. A local arrest may have an immigration detainer, but the county jail, BOP, and ICE each answer a different custody question.
Goliad County Detention Facilities
The official facility map has one local detention facility. Goliad County Jail is the primary facility and the only facility list item for the county build. The sheriff jail page mentions a supervised work detail for minimum-security-risk inmates, but the research did not locate a separate work-release building, jail annex, city jail, TDCJ prison, BOP prison, or ICE detention facility in Goliad County.
- Goliad County Jail - county jail operated by the Goliad County Sheriff's Office for local pretrial detainees, misdemeanor custody, bench-warrant detainees, short county sentences, and transfer-related holds reported through TCJS.
Goliad County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Goliad County inmate population?
The June 2026 TCJS current population row showed 20 people in Goliad County Jail against a listed capacity of 48 beds. The separate TCJS incarceration-rate workbook reported an average daily population of 15 and a countywide population denominator of 7,221 for the current series.
Is there an official Goliad County jail roster?
No official searchable Goliad County Jail roster, public booking report, or inmate-profile database was located on the county or sheriff websites in the research. Current custody checks should start with the jail phone line at 361-645-8259 and VINELink Texas.
How are Goliad County booking records requested?
The sheriff Services page says criminal records on file with the Goliad County Sheriff's Office must be requested in writing with the open-records form. The researched submission paths are in person, fax, email, or U.S. mail. The sheriff fax number is 361-645-2230.
Do TDCJ, BOP, and ICE replace the jail search?
No. TDCJ covers sentenced state-prison custody, BOP covers sentenced federal prisoners, and ICE ODLS covers immigration detention. A new Goliad arrest or county jail hold is still a county jail question first.
Does Goliad County publish mugshots online?
No official county mugshot gallery, recent-bookings feed, or daily booking report was located in the researched county or sheriff sources. A booking photo, if requested as a record, should be sought through the sheriff's written open-records process.