The Poweshiek County Inmate Population
The Poweshiek County inmate population centers on one local detention facility: the Poweshiek County Jail / Poweshiek County Public Safety Building in Montezuma. The Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office operates the jail under Sheriff Matt Maschmann. The official county pages reviewed did not publish a live jail population dashboard, a current roster, a public booking database, or a jail capacity page. That gap matters because many inmate search pages on the open web imply that a live county roster exists. The researched official sources point instead to the sheriff's phone counter, Iowa public-records law, Iowa Courts Online, IowaVINE, and the Iowa Department of Corrections for different stages of custody.
A local arrest can move through several record systems. Booking and short-term detention belong to the sheriff and jail. Initial appearance and bond terms become court matters once a case is entered. A prison sentence moves the person out of the Poweshiek County inmate population held at the jail and into the Iowa Department of Corrections offender search. Federal custody, immigration custody, and U.S. Marshals custody use still other systems. For that reason, a clear Poweshiek County inmate population search has to separate current county jail custody from court charges, state prison status, and federal or immigration detention.
Poweshiek County Inmate Population Statistics
Current official Poweshiek County jail counts were not located in the county sources reviewed, so the strongest available figures are labeled historical or dataset-based. The official sheriff statistics page reports historical inmates booked into jail through 2015. The Vera Institute Incarceration Trends county dataset gives a 2019 Poweshiek County jail population snapshot built from BJS, survey, and related sources. These figures are useful for scale, but they should not be read as today's live jail count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jail population | 22 | Vera Incarceration Trends county CSV, 2019 |
| Rated capacity | 59 | Vera Incarceration Trends county CSV, 2019 |
| Inmates booked into jail | 450 | Official sheriff statistics, 2015 |
| Highest booking count in official table | 604 | Official sheriff statistics, 2012 |
| Jail population rate | 186.6 per 100,000 age 15-64 | Vera Incarceration Trends county CSV, 2019 |
The official sheriff statistics page is local and direct, but it is a booking-volume table, not a live population screen. Vera's capacity and custody figures help fill part of the research gap, yet the county did not publish a matching current bed count or average daily population page. Treat each source by its date and its purpose.
Poweshiek County Inmate Population Trends
The historical booking table shows the number of people booked into the Poweshiek County Jail rose sharply from the early 2000s to the early 2010s, then fell by the last year in the county table. The official table starts at 289 bookings in 2000, reaches 604 in 2012, and reports 450 in 2015. The Vera trend table gives a different but related view: the jail population estimate rose from 12 in 2015 to 22 in 2019, while rated capacity rose from 53 to 59 over the same period.
| Year | Jail Population | Rated Capacity | Pretrial | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 12 | 53 | 6 | 6 |
| 2016 | 12 | 54.5 | 6 | 6 |
| 2017 | 14.5 | 56 | 7.25 | 7.25 |
| 2018 | 17 | 57.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| 2019 | 22 | 59 | 9 | 13 |
Recent local government records add context without adding a new population count. Board minutes from 2025 discuss Public Safety Building maintenance, jail room-and-board fee categories, and Zuercher software for dispatch, jail management, and records management. Those items show active jail operations, but they do not prove a current roster launch or a current population total.
Who Makes Up Poweshiek County Inmates
Vera's 2019 Poweshiek County row reports small-count demographic categories. Small totals should be read with care because a change of one or two people can shift the apparent mix. The dataset lists 14 male jail inmates, 4 female jail inmates, 12 White jail inmates, 1 Black jail inmate, 1 Latinx jail inmate, and 4 in another race category. It also separates 9 people in pretrial custody from 13 in sentenced custody for that dataset year.
- Pretrial custody: Vera reports 9 people in 2019, meaning custody before final case disposition.
- Sentenced custody: Vera reports 13 people in 2019, tied to a jail sentence or other post-disposition custody category.
- Gender counts: Vera reports 14 male and 4 female jail population counts for 2019.
- Federal categories: Vera's 2019 row shows zero for BOP, ICE, Marshals, and other federal jail-held categories.
These figures do not replace a current Poweshiek County inmate population check. If the purpose is to find a specific person, call the jail or use the proper locator for the custody level. If the purpose is trend analysis, cite the year and source with the number.
Laws Governing Poweshiek County Inmates
Iowa law explains why jail information exists even when Poweshiek County does not post an online roster. Iowa Chapter 22 is the public-records framework. Iowa Code section 356.6 requires a sheriff to keep a prisoner calendar. Iowa Code section 356.49 requires monthly jail reports to the Iowa Department of Corrections with men, women, and juveniles held. State jail standards also shape intake, health screening, inspections, and incident reporting.
Key Statutes:
Iowa Code Chapter 22 gives public access to government records unless an exception applies.
Iowa Code section 356.6 requires the sheriff to keep a county jail prisoner calendar.
Iowa Code section 356.49 requires monthly jail reports to DOC with population categories.
Iowa Administrative Code 201 Chapter 50 sets jail standards for screening, medical policies, incidents, and inspections.
Chapter 22 does not require a free live web roster. It does support a records request when public jail records are not posted. Iowa Code section 22.3 also allows reasonable actual-cost fees, so free access to view a record and free copies are separate issues.
Poweshiek County State Prison Records
No Iowa DOC prison is located inside Poweshiek County, but a Poweshiek case can still become a state prison record after sentencing. The county attorney's criminal-process page says a prison sentence results in immediate custody and transfer by the sheriff to the prison system. At that point, the sheriff's jail is no longer the main place to search. The Iowa DOC offender search covers sentenced state custody and supervision records, and Poweshiek is available as a County of Commitment filter when that fact is known.
| System | Use It For | Do Not Use It For |
|---|---|---|
| Poweshiek sheriff / jail | Current local custody, booking questions, local jail records | Sentenced prison placement after DOC transfer |
| Iowa Courts Online | Filed charges, case events, hearings, disposition entries | Live physical custody status |
| Iowa DOC Offender Search | Sentenced DOC custody, supervision, prison location | Most pretrial county jail bookings |
| BOP or ICE locators | Federal sentenced custody or immigration detention | Routine Poweshiek jail custody |
Search Poweshiek County Inmate Population
No official current Poweshiek County online jail roster was located on the county site. That means the search starts with a fallback chain rather than a roster form. Use the person's full legal name, approximate age or date of birth, and an approximate arrest date if known. For very recent custody, the sheriff's office is the first channel because court data and DOC data can lag or may not apply.
- Call the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office at 641-623-5679 and ask whether the person is currently held at the county jail.
- If staff cannot release details by phone, ask whether the record can be checked at the public counter during published office hours.
- Search Iowa Courts Online for a filed criminal case after the court has had time to enter it.
- Use Iowa VINELink for custody status and release notification if a record is available there.
- Use Iowa DOC, BOP, ICE, or U.S. Marshals channels only when the person has moved to that custody level.
For released or older records, ask the sheriff what jail booking or prisoner-calendar information can be requested under Iowa Chapter 22. A transfer can move the answer from the jail to DOC, another county, federal custody, or immigration custody.
Poweshiek County Jail Roster Search
The official roster field table is short because no official online Poweshiek County jail roster was found. This is not a reason to use unofficial roster domains. The Central Iowa Police to Citizen portal was also not treated as a Poweshiek roster because its visible agency settings referenced Story County, Ames, Huxley, Story City, Iowa State University Police, and related agencies, and no official Poweshiek page linked it as the county jail roster.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not available | Not available | Not available | No official Poweshiek County online jail roster was located. |
The missing roster changes the practical questions. Ask whether the person is currently in the Poweshiek County Jail, what name spelling is used, whether a public booking record exists, whether a bond amount has been set, and whether the person is held for another agency. If there is a filed court case, compare jail information with the court docket because booking allegations and court charges can differ.
Poweshiek County Inmate Record Fields
A Poweshiek-specific online profile could not be inspected, so the page should not claim that online jail results show mugshots, housing, bond, booking numbers, or release dates. Iowa law still gives a baseline. Iowa Code section 356.6 requires a prisoner calendar with identity, commitment and discharge timing, cause and authority of commitment, term, description, discharge authority, and escape details if any.
| Record Source | Useful Fields | Main Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Poweshiek sheriff request | Current custody, booking record, release or transfer path, prisoner-calendar information | Not posted online; redactions or fees may apply. |
| IowaVINE | Custody status and release notification registration | Not a full booking-record database. |
| Iowa Courts Online | Case ID, party names, charges, filings, hearings, dispositions, fines and fees | May lag, and juvenile or confidential matters are excluded. |
| Iowa DOC search | Offender number, location, offense, commitment dates, supervision status | State custody only, not ordinary pretrial jail custody. |
State and Federal Inmate Search
State and federal locators cover different slices of the Poweshiek County inmate population story. The Iowa DOC search page can be searched by name, offender number, sex, location, offense, and County of Commitment. It is updated weekly and carries its own accuracy notice. The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. ICE's Online Detainee Locator System covers immigration detention. The U.S. Marshals Southern District of Iowa includes Poweshiek County, but it does not publish a county jail roster.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency that can affect release even after local bond is posted.
- County of Commitment
- The Iowa county tied to a DOC commitment, not always the person's current physical location.
- Pretrial Custody
- Jail custody before conviction or final case disposition.
- Sentenced Custody
- Custody after a court sentence, which may be county jail or state prison depending on the case.
Poweshiek County Detention Facilities
The facility map resolved one local detention facility. No separate county annex, municipal jail, regional jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention facility was located inside Poweshiek County from official sources. A person arrested locally may still move to another system after sentencing, transfer, a federal hold, or immigration custody.
- Poweshiek County Jail / Poweshiek County Public Safety Building - the sheriff-operated county jail for local arrests, initial custody, county jail sentences, and lawful holds or transfers.
The Public Safety Building address is distinct from the courthouse address. Jail and sheriff questions route to Barnes City Road, while Clerk of Court questions route to the courthouse at 302 East Main in Montezuma.
Poweshiek County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Poweshiek County inmate population?
No current official live count was located. Vera's county dataset reports a 2019 jail population of 22 and rated capacity of 59, while the sheriff's official statistics page reports 450 inmates booked into jail in 2015. Those are historical figures, not today's count.
Can Poweshiek County inmates be searched online?
No official current Poweshiek County online jail roster was located. Start with the sheriff's office, then use Iowa Courts Online, IowaVINE, Iowa DOC, BOP, or ICE depending on the custody stage.
Are Poweshiek County mugshots online?
No official Poweshiek booking-photo gallery or mugshot roster was located. Ask the sheriff whether a booking photo is releasable and whether a Chapter 22 request is required.
What if the person was sentenced to prison?
Use Iowa DOC Offender Search after a prison sentence or DOC supervision begins. DOC records are separate from the county jail and may show location, offender number, offense, and supervision status.