Tarrant County Criminal Justice System
If you, or a loved one, are facing a criminal charge in Tarrant County, it is important that you understand the criminal justice landscape within the county. Each county and system throughout Texas works differently making it crucial to consult a local Fort Worth criminal defense attorney who can help you navigate the criminal justice system in place within Tarrant County.
Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office is the office of the prosecutor. They are the lawyers that represent the State of Texas in criminal matters within the Tarrant County court system. Police agencies throughout Tarrant County such as Fort Worth, Arlington, or the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department submit or file cases with the Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Once a case is filed with the DA, an assistant criminal district attorney will review the case and choose to accept or reject it. If the case is accepted by the District Attorney’s Office, it proceeds through the grand jury process if it is a felony offense or just onto to a court and prosecutor if it is a misdemeanor. Felony offenses in Texas as reviewed by a grand jury comprised of citizens of Tarrant County who make a determine of whether probable cause exists and if so, the case is indicted and continues its journey through the process. If a grand jury makes a determination that no probable cause exists, the case is No Billed and stops right there. A skilled Fort Worth criminal defense lawyer can and should assist anyone facing grand jury review within Tarrant County.
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office is comprised of 154 attorneys led by the Honorable Sharen Wilson, the former judge of Criminal District Court Number One. Of those 154 attorneys, approximately 80 work exclusively in the area of criminal prosecution. Each criminal case in Tarrant County is assigned a prosecutor who will handle that case through until it is resolved. Its important to find a Fort Worth criminal defense lawyer who is familiar with these prosecutors and has experience working with them.
Tarrant County Criminal and Juvenile Courts
The Tarrant County Criminal Justice System is made up of eleven district courts and ten county criminal courts that hear criminal cases. Of the eleven district courts, ten of those are called Criminal District Courts and they hear nothing but felony criminal cases. The remaining district court is a juvenile court that hears criminal cases, both misdemeanor and felony, against juvenile offenders. The ten county criminal courts resolve misdemeanor cases. All criminal courts in Tarrant County, with the exception of the juvenile court, are located in downtown Fort Worth in the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center at 401 W. Belknap Street.
Criminal District Courts:
County Criminal Courts:
Juvenile Court:
323rd District Court
Each Criminal District Court is presided over by a judge and has five assistant criminal district attorneys assigned to handle cases as prosecutors. Each County Criminal Court is also presided over by a judge and has two assistant criminal district attorneys assigned to handle that courts cases as prosecutors. The prosecutors assigned to each case work for the Criminal District Attorneys Office and not for the victim or the person facing criminal charges. The only person working for the accused is a criminal defense lawyer. While the accused does not get to select the court in which their case is heard or the prosecutor that is assigned to their case, an accused does have the right to select a criminal defense lawyer they want to defend the case. This is a critical decision in the criminal justice process and one that can make all the difference regarding the case’s outcome.