Iowa Inmate Search

Nine state prisons and 94 local county jails make up the Iowa prison system. The Iowa Correctional Institution for Women is the state's only correctional facility dedicated to female prisoners.

As of December 31, 2022, the incarceration rate in the state was 264 inmates per 100,000 population. Also, more than 8,000 prisoners were placed under the jurisdiction of prisons and jails in the state in 2022.

Iowa Inmate SearchPrison in Iowa
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According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, the state's correctional system includes 9 state prisons, 94 county jails, and 1 women-only facility. As of 2022, there were over 8,000 inmates in state prisons and jails. Iowa has an incarceration rate of 264 per 100,000 people. The system includes 8 district correctional service departments and supervises over 30,000 people in the community daily.

Iowa Department of Corrections Inmate Search

State correctional facilities and prisons in Iowa are under the jurisdictional authority of the Iowa Dept of Corrections (IDOC). Besides administering the operations of the nine correctional institutions, the department oversees the accreditation and funding of eight district correctional service departments and supervises over 30,000 people in the community daily. The IDOC also manages the state Prison Industries, a not-for-profit program teaching valuable job skills to inmates.

The Iowa Dept of Corrections provides a means to access inmate information via the offender search portal. Anyone may visit the portal to perform an inmate search by name, number, or birthdate.

User

Find Inmate by Name

To find an inmate by name, use the Iowa offender search tool. In the name field option, provide the inmate's first, middle, or last name. If you want a more precise search result, provide all the known names of the inmate in the name field.

User

Find Inmate by Number

The Iowa Department of Corrections offender search tool has a field named "offender number." Offender number refers to the unique identification number issued to an inmate by the IDOC. If you know this number, you may use it to perform a quick search of the state's inmate database.

Jail

Find Inmate by Jail Type

The IDOC offender search tool allows users to find inmates by the correctional institution in which they are located. If you know the prison or correctional institution where an offender is held, select its name from the "location" drop-down menu on the IDOC offender search tool. While selecting only the correctional institution will return a paginated result list for inmates in that institution, you may consider providing an additional search item, such as offender name or number, to get a narrower search result.

What Information is Contained in an Iowa Inmate Record?

The IDOC offender search result typically provides the following inmate information upon searching:

  • Inmate's name
  • Inmates IDOC number
  • Inmate's sex
  • Inmates birthdate
  • The location or correctional institution where the inmate is held
  • The offense for which the inmate was incarcerated
  • Charges brought against the offender
  • Tentative discharge Date or Supervision Discharge Date
  • Commitment date
  • Recall date
  • Most recent board decision
  • Interview date and time (if being interviewed)
  • Mandatory minimum (if applicable)

Iowa Inmate Records by Counties

The IDOC offender search tool allows you to find an inmate in state prisons per the county of commitment. The "County of Commitment" menu on the IDOC portal lists all the counties in the state. If you know an inmate's county of commitment, you may select it on the menu to perform a search.

In addition, you may find information for persons serving time in county jails by visiting the county sheriff's websites. Most county sheriffs in Iowa maintain a list or roster of inmates in county jails. For example, Iowa, Scott, Dane, and Pottawattamie county sheriff offices maintain online jail rosters.

Are Incarceration Records Public Information in Iowa?

Incarceration records are public information under Section 904.601 (1) Iowa Code (1999). Anyone looking to obtain an incarceration record may contact the custodian of the records - The Iowa Department of Corrections. According to state law, requests for inspection and copying are accepted by IDOC.

Despite Iowa law making incarceration records public, some records may not be accessible to the public if a court has ordered their sealing or expungement. Also, portions of Iowa incarceration records containing personal information such as mental health information or Social Security numbers may be inaccessible to the public.

Federal Prisons in Iowa

There are currently no federal prisons in Iowa.

Frequently Asked Questions about Inmate Records

You can request a Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) public record by submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the department's FOIA coordinator by email . Alternatively, you may send the request to the MDOC at:

MDOC FOIA Coordinator
Michigan Department of Corrections
P.O. Box 30003
Lasing, MI 48909
Phone: (517) 335-4194
Fax: (517) 335-4193

The MDOC FOIA service comes at a fee that may be paid online .

The Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) provided and managed by the Michigan Department of Corrections is the first place to check when looking up inmates incarcerated in the state's correctional facilities. For inmates housed in county jails, county sheriff's offices, and local police departments typically host inmate locators on their websites to facilitate inmate searches for individuals held in county jails.

In Michigan, old inmate records for individuals housed in state prison facilities not earlier than 1982 may be found by submitting a request to the Department of Corrections at:

Michigan Department of Corrections
206 E. Michigan Ave.
Grandview Plaza
P.O. Box 30003
Lasing, MI 48909

Inmate records older than 1982 (historical inmate records) in the state may be found by contacting the Michigan Archives by email or by contacting (517) 335-2576. Alternatively, interested persons may visit the Archives in person at:

Michigan Archives
Michigan Library and Historical Center
2nd Floor
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lasing, MI 48915

Old inmate records for individuals incarcerated in county jails may be obtained by contacting the county sheriff's offices. Generally, requesters will be required to provide certain information like the inmates' names, numbers, and birth dates.

You may find inmate death records in Michigan by contacting the state's Department of Corrections for inmates who were housed in state prisons before their deaths while still serving their sentence. If an inmate died while serving their term in a county jail within the state, you may contact the county jail management or the county sheriff's office to find the inmate's death record.

Generally, it takes anywhere between a few hours and a few days for an inmate's information to be published in Michigan DOC's Offender Tracking Information System (OTIS) once entered. Note that the majority of the information available on OTIS is obtained from court records.

You can send money to an inmate in Michigan through any of the following means:

Credit Card/Debit Card/Cash Deposits - Electronic deposits of funds into Michigan inmates' accounts are allowed through GTL Financial services via ConnectNetwork or by phone at (888) 988-4768. Note that processing fees apply for debit/credit card transactions. GTL Financial offers walk-in debit card/credit card/cash deposits at select correctional facility kiosks.

Lockbox Deposits - Money orders, which may not exceed $300, to Michigan inmates (using the appropriate deposit form ) from members of the public or inmates' family members can be made payable to GTL Financial Services and mailed to the GTL lockbox at:

GTL Financial Services
10005 Technology Blvd. West
Suite 130
Dallas, TX 75220