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Iowa Inmate Search

Iowa
Updated on: December 12, 2022

Inmate records are public records under the Iowa Public Records Act. You can easily find them in major government agencies that provide access to the public for public records viewing. You can also access them via third-party websites across the state.

With this Act, you can easily find an inmate incarcerated in Iowa, provided they are not juveniles or the inmates have their whereabouts and records sealed.

Here is how you can easily locate inmates in Iowa

Inmates in Iowa State Prisons

Iowa has nine correctional institutions run by the Iowa Department of Corrections. The department maintains an online database that interested individuals can utilize to find their loved ones incarcerated in their facilities. This offender search database is searchable by the offender's full name or IDOC-issued ID.

When searching using the name option, you may add a few personal details of the inmate, such as their gender, sex, height, age, date of birth, charges, tattoos, eye and hair color, date of incarceration, or visible scars.

However, when using the number option, you only need to indicate the correct number. This is because each inmate has a unique number on the IDOC database.

Inmates in Iowa County Jails

You can also locate inmates in 96 county jails across 99 counties in Iowa. The local county sheriff's department makes the information on these inmates readily available.

Most jails in Iowa keep inmates' records on a jail roster for interested parties to easily find them. Some have a searchable database, while others have an up-to-date inmate list arranged alphabetically according to the inmates' names.

When utilizing the searchable database, you need to provide the offenders;

  • Official names
  • Date of incarceration
  • Date of arrest

If you cannot find the roster or your inmate, you must contact the jail administration to check if they are in the jails but not on the database. This is true because only inmates who have completed their booking or orientation process are kept on the inmate roster.

Inmates in ICE Detention Facilities

Immigrants charged with violating immigration laws are detained by ICE as they await court trial and sentencing. Suppose your loved one happens to be an immigrant. In that case, you can try finding them using the ICE detainee locator system to see if they are in one of the two immigration detention facilities in Iowa. This database provides up-to-date information on all the detainees under ICE care.

You can search the database by the detainee's name, country of birth, or ICE-issued detainee number. You can also locate them by contacting your nearest ICE field agent.

Iowa VINE

For victims of crime, the Iowa VINE is a free national resource that may help you keep track of your offender. You will receive updates when the incarceration status of your offender has changed. If their release dates change, they escape prison, are placed in solitary confinement, transferred to another prison, and progress in rehabilitation.

To receive updates via phone calls, emails, messages, or mail, you must register with VINELink and provide the details of the offender you wish to keep track of. This service is free.

Third-Party Websites

You can find inmates in Iowa using a third-party website of your choice. To access these records, you need to provide the feed search engine with the name, physical description, charges, or prisoner ID of the inmate you wish to find.

Basic information

Department Name
Iowa Department of Corrections
Official Website
Currently Incarcerated Inmates
Location P.O. Box
510 E 12th St, Des Moines, IA 50319, United States
Phone Number
+1 515-725-5701
Fax

Types of Correctional Facilities in Iowa

Iowa Prisons and Jails

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