Everyday Rules at Aransas County Jail: What Gets Someone Written Up (and How Families Can Help)

Keeping opened or saved food in the cell is one of the easiest ways to get written up at Aransas County Jail. The rule is straightforward: opened food stored in a cell can lead to disciplinary action and may cost your loved one commissary privileges. If you're talking on the phone, the advice is simple - eat what you open, don't stash leftovers, and keep the space clean. Nobody wants a bug problem drawing staff attention.

Possession of money or currency is a minor infraction. Cash isn't something they're supposed to have on them inside the facility, and getting caught with it triggers disciplinary action. If your loved one needs funds available, encourage them to follow the facility's approved process rather than holding onto any kind of currency.

Smoking inside the facility is prohibited - it's treated as a minor infraction. Even though it might seem like a "small" rule compared to others, it still leads to a write-up and everything that comes with it. The safest message to pass along: avoid anything that could be considered smoking inside. Period.

Using the intercom the wrong way is another common write-up trigger. At Aransas County Jail, the intercom is for emergencies only. Misuse counts as a minor infraction. If your loved one needs something that isn't urgent, they're expected to use the proper request process - not hit the intercom hoping someone responds.

Some behaviors are in a completely different category. Possession of any illegal drugs or intoxicants is a major infraction, and the consequences inside jail are far more severe than a minor write-up. If you're supporting someone on the outside, keep your conversations grounded: remind them that getting involved with drugs in any way is high-risk and can make their situation worse fast.

Attempting to block or tamper with any locking device is also a major infraction. Even if someone thinks they're "just messing with" a door or trying to change how something closes, staff treat it as a serious security issue. The advice is straightforward: don't touch locks or locking mechanisms, and don't do anything that could look like interfering with them.

When your loved one is frustrated and trying to get staff attention, the intercom can feel like the fastest option. But at Aransas County Jail, it's reserved for emergencies only. Using it for non-emergency complaints, requests, or questions counts as misuse - a minor infraction. A good script to share: if it's not an emergency, don't use the intercom. Handle it through the normal request process instead.

Day-to-day media rules matter more than people expect. They're tied to routine and tension in a shared space. Each 8-person cell has a television that provides access to news and local events, but newspapers aren't allowed. TV is the main built-in way to keep up with what's happening outside - worth setting expectations about that early.

TV access has a hard overnight cutoff. Facility TVs are turned off from 00:00 (midnight) to 08:00, unless a major news event occurs. If your loved one is used to falling asleep with the TV on, it helps to know ahead of time that it won't be available during those hours.

Laundry is another area where "small" choices create bigger problems. Clean laundry is passed out according to a posted schedule. Refuse it at the scheduled time? You wait until the next rotation. In practical terms, it's better to take care of laundry when it's offered instead of assuming you can get it handled later on demand.

Clothing rules are enforced whenever someone leaves their cell. At Aransas County Jail, inmates must be fully clothed in their complete uniform when exiting - emergencies are the only exception. Whether heading to chow, a call-out, or any other out-of-cell activity, "fully dressed in full uniform" needs to be automatic to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Family Tips

• ✓ Don’t keep opened or saved food in the cell - opened food stored in a cell can lead to disciplinary action and possible loss of commissary privileges.
• ✓ Treat the intercom like an emergency button - using it for non-emergencies is considered a minor infraction.
• ✓ Take laundry when it’s offered - refusing laundry at the scheduled time means waiting until the next rotation.
• ✓ Step out of the cell fully dressed - inmates must be in complete uniform when exiting their cell, except in emergencies.

If you only emphasize two "do not cross this line" issues, make them these: no illegal drugs or intoxicants, and no messing with locks. Both are major infractions. Even a brief conversation - "don't get pulled into anything involving drugs, and don't touch doors or locks" - can help your loved one avoid the kind of incident that brings serious discipline.

A few quick expectation-setters prevent a lot of friction. Remind your loved one that newspapers aren't allowed - the TV in the 8-person cell is their main access point for news and local events. Flag the overnight shutoff too: TVs are off from midnight to 8:00 a.m. unless there's a major news event. And tell them not to hold any money or currency. Possession of currency is a minor infraction, and it's an avoidable way to get written up.