What happens at the Palm Beach County jail and first appearance on Gun Club Road?

When a family member is arrested in Palm Beach County, Gun Club Road is usually where the first questions get answered: where the person is, what the bond is and when a judge will see them. This page explains what the Sheriff, the court and the State Attorney publish about that complex. The county-wide picture, including the regional courthouses where later hearings happen, is on our Palm Beach County DUI and criminal defense page.

What happens at Gun Club Road, step by step?

1. Arrival and booking. The person is brought to the Main Detention Center and booked; Inmate Records can then confirm the charges and any bond.
2. Bond on the schedule, if allowed. If no criterion in section 903.011(6) applies, family can post bond before any hearing.
3. First appearance within 24 hours. A judge sees everyone still held, in person or by video, with a prosecutor from the State Attorney's branch office and, usually, a public defender.
4. Rights and release. The judge explains the charge and rights and sets release conditions or bail.
5. Release or transfer. Once bond is posted, the jail completes release; later hearings may be here or at a regional courthouse.

What is at 3228 Gun Club Road?

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit lists the Criminal Justice Complex at 3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406, as one of its five courthouses. The Sheriff's Office places its Main Detention Center at the Sheriff's Headquarters Complex at the same address and gives these details:

The Clerk of the Circuit Court also provides services at the Criminal Justice Complex, in addition to its courthouses.

Who handles first appearance at the jail?

The State Attorney's Office keeps a branch office, reachable at (561) 688-4640, in the Palm Beach County Jail building at the Criminal Justice Complex. It says that office handles first appearances of new arrestees, felony and misdemeanor arraignments, custody matters and violations of probation. In domestic violence cases, the office says its victim advocates contact the alleged victim within the first 24 hours of an arrest and are present at first appearance hearings; our domestic violence page explains how those cases are defended.

Rule 3.130 of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure sets the frame. Every arrested person not already lawfully released must be taken before a judge within 24 hours of arrest, either in person or by audio-video technology at the court's discretion. A prosecutor must attend, in person or by communication technology, and so must a public defender unless the defendant has hired a lawyer or wants to and can afford one. The judge must tell the defendant the charge, provide a copy of the complaint and explain the right to stay silent and the right to a lawyer; if those rights were explained by pre-recorded video, the judge must confirm with each defendant that the video was seen and understood. The full sequence, including the 30-day and 60-day charging clocks, is on our page about the first 48 hours after an arrest in Palm Beach or Broward County.

Which other cases are scheduled at the Criminal Justice Complex?

• Central Region citations: under Administrative Order 4.603, citations requiring a mandatory hearing before a judge from West Palm Beach, Lake Clarke Shores, the Town of Palm Beach, Palm Springs, FHP Troop L and several PBSO districts, including Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth and Greenacres, are scheduled here.
• Adult Drug Court: the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit holds all Adult Drug Court hearings here on Mondays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m., with a graduation ceremony once a month. Participants pay $20.00 a week toward treatment and drug testing.
• Who drug court is for: the possession charges that can lead there are explained in drug possession penalties in Florida.
• Probation violations: the State Attorney's branch office here handles violations of probation. Our probation violation page explains how those accusations are defended. Release on a violation warrant is covered in bond on a probation violation in Florida.

How is bond posted at the Main Detention Center?

PBSO says the bond amount can be confirmed through Inmate Records at (561) 688-4340, and then posted in one of three ways:

Not everyone can bond out before seeing a judge. Section 903.011(6), Florida Statutes, requires a judge to decide bail first for people who meet listed criteria, such as an arrest for violating a protective injunction or for a first- or second-degree felony. How a bond amount is set, what the judge weighs and how cash bond refunds work are covered on our page about how bond works in Florida.

What if the person arrested is a juvenile?

PBSO lists a separate number, 561-881-5020, for its Juvenile Detention Center for questions about a juvenile's arrest or court date. The State Attorney's Office says police may release a youth to a parent or take the youth to the Juvenile Assessment Center at 1100 45th Street, Building A, West Palm Beach. Our juvenile offenses page explains how those cases are handled.

What should the family do while the person is held?

• Call Inmate Records at (561) 688-4340 to confirm where the person is held, the charges and any bond.
• Write down the full booked name, jacket number and booking number; PBSO asks for them to pay bond by card.
• Keep calls about the case to a minimum. The judge will remind the person that anything said may be used against them.
• For a DUI or misdemeanor arrest in the Southern Region, which takes in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, the county court case is heard at the courthouse described on our page about the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach.
• An arrest in Broward follows a different path, set out on our Broward County page.
• A domestic violence arrest is held for the judge, as explained in what happens after a domestic violence arrest.
• An arrest in Martin County is booked on Monterey Road in Stuart, as described in the Martin County Courthouse and jail.

What changes the answer?

• The charge. A first- or second-degree felony, domestic violence, burglary, robbery and the other offenses in section 903.011(6)(g) mean no release before a judge. How burglary charges are defended is on our burglary defense page.
• An injunction. An arrest for violating a protective injunction always waits for a judge (s. 903.011(6)(c)); see our violation of injunction page.
• Probation. For a new-law violation, the judge may hold the person for the court that granted probation or release the person, with or without bail (Rule 3.130(d)).
• Retained counsel. If the person has hired a lawyer, the judge must allow a reasonable time to send for that lawyer (Rule 3.130(c)(2)).
• Age. Juveniles go through the Juvenile Assessment Center or the Juvenile Detention Center line, not the adult process.

A worked example

For example, imagine a hypothetical Friday-night arrest in Wellington by a PBSO deputy for a third-degree felony, where nothing on the section 903.011(6) list applies. The person is booked at the Main Detention Center, and the family calls Inmate Records at (561) 688-4340 for the charge and bond amount. They post a surety bond through a bondsman whose name is on the list in the Visitor's Lobby, and the person is released after processing, with a court date. If the same arrest had been for domestic battery, the person would have stayed for first appearance, within 24 hours, where a judge would set conditions, including the no-contact condition that Rule 3.131(a) attaches to every release, after hearing from the State Attorney's prosecutor. This is a hypothetical example, not a prediction.

Common mistakes families make

• Bringing a personal check to post a cash bond; PBSO accepts cash, money orders or certified checks only.
• Not having the booked name, jacket number and booking number when paying by card.
• Talking about the facts on jail calls.
• Assuming the alleged victim can end the case at first appearance.

What to do this week

1. Confirm the charges and bond with Inmate Records.
2. Decide between cash and a surety bond.
3. After release, read every condition and the next court date.
4. For a DUI, handle the 10-day license deadline explained in keeping your license within 10 days.
5. Speak with a lawyer before the arraignment.

Questions people ask after an arrest in Palm Beach County

• Court attendance is covered in whether you have to go to your arraignment.
• Early endings are explained in whether charges can be dropped before trial.
• Programs, including Adult Drug Court, are covered in pretrial diversion in Palm Beach and Broward.
• Time limits are in Florida's speedy trial deadlines.
• Maximums by degree are in our chart of Florida criminal penalties.
• Felony ranges are explained in how a felony sentence is calculated.
• Plea outcomes are explained in withhold of adjudication.
• Self-defense claims are covered in stand-your-ground immunity.
• Gun charges are covered in felon in possession of a firearm.
• Carry rules are covered in concealed carry without a license.
• DUI steps are in what happens after a DUI arrest.
• The first week of a DUI case is laid out in the DUI first-week checklist.
• The Gun Club Road plea option for first DUIs is in the first-time DUI program.
• Felony DUI cases include DUI manslaughter.
• Crash cases are covered in a DUI involving a crash.
• Refusals are covered in refusing the breath test.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out if someone is at the Palm Beach County jail?

PBSO's Inmate Records line, (561) 688-4340, gives booking and bond information.

Is first appearance held on weekends?

Rule 3.130(a) requires first appearance within 24 hours of arrest for everyone not already released, without an exception for weekends.

Can I watch first appearance?

It is a court proceeding of which an official record must be kept (Rule 3.130(a)); ask the court or the Clerk about public access on the day.

Where do Central Region misdemeanor cases go after first appearance?

AO 4.603 schedules Central Region mandatory-hearing citations at the Criminal Justice Complex itself.

Where is a juvenile taken?

The State Attorney says police may release a youth to a parent or take the youth to the Juvenile Assessment Center; PBSO lists 561-881-5020 for the Juvenile Detention Center.

How can Mr. Mead help right after an arrest?

Under Rule 3.130, when a defendant has hired a lawyer, the judge must allow a reasonable time to send for that lawyer. Mr. Mead's practice is devoted entirely to criminal defense, he works one-on-one with each client, and you can call 24 hours. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken. His background is on the firm overview page.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If someone you love is being held on Gun Club Road, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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