The Grundy County Inmate Population
The Grundy County inmate population is centered on one local detention facility, Grundy County Jail. The official sheriff page says the sheriff's office houses the county jail and publishes the current county capacity. People counted in the county jail population are generally local arrestees, pretrial detainees, and short local jail inmates. Sentenced state prisoners from Grundy County move into the Iowa Department of Corrections system, and federal or immigration custody is searched through separate federal tools.
Several choices can change the local count on a given day. Arrest volume, first appearance decisions, bond conditions, holds from other agencies, short sentences, and transfers to Iowa DOC custody all affect how many people remain in the jail. The sheriff also provides contracted law enforcement for Beaman, Conrad, Dike, Holland, Morrison, Stout, Reinbeck, and Wellsburg, so arrests from those towns may still flow through the sheriff and the county jail instead of a separate city lockup.
The Grundy County Sheriff's Office page is the local source for the jail contact block, capacity, and visitation hours.
That source is important because it confirms the county jail, not a regional jail or state prison, as the local custody point.
Grundy County Inmate Population Statistics
The current official county-published capacity is 14 beds, while Vera Institute historical data lists 17 as the rated capacity for 2013 through 2019. Those two figures should not be blended. The 14-bed count is the current county-published number from the sheriff page inspected for this build. Vera's 17-bed figure is a historical dataset value used for year-to-year comparisons.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current official county-published jail capacity | 14 beds | Grundy County Sheriff's Office page, inspected 2026 |
| Current jail population | Not located | No official public daily count or online roster located |
| Average daily population | 2 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| Annual admissions/bookings | 27.25 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| Jail population rate | 26.7 per 100,000 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2019 |
| County population estimate | 12,361 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, 2025 estimate |
U.S. Census QuickFacts for Grundy County provides the county population baseline used to read the jail rate in context.
The census numbers do not show jail custody, but they help explain why a small absolute jail count can still be meaningful locally.
Grundy County Inmate Population Trends
Vera's recent historical rows show a very small jail population. The Grundy County inmate population was 5 in 2013 and 2014, then 3 from 2015 through 2017, 2.5 in 2018, and 2 in 2019. A 2018 KCRG/AP report about older jail litigation quoted the then-sheriff as saying the jail averaged about two inmates per day, which lines up with the late 2010s Vera figures.
| Year | Jail pop / ADP | Admissions | Pretrial | Sentenced | Rated capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 | 27.25 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 2018 | 2.5 | 31.5 | 0.83 | 1.67 | 17 |
| 2017 | 3 | 42.25 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| 2016 | 3 | 42.25 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| 2015 | 3 | 48 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
| 2014 | 5 | 44.75 | 1.67 | 3.33 | 17 |
| 2013 | 5 | 41.5 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
Current 2020 through 2026 official daily jail population rows were not located in the public sources reviewed. That gap matters. A person trying to verify custody should not assume the historical average is today's count.
Who Makes Up Grundy County Jail Custody
The public demographic data found for the Grundy County inmate population comes from Vera's historical county dataset, not from a current county roster. Vera reports small counts, and some demographic values are estimated or smoothed, so subtotals may not always match the total. The most useful local takeaway is not a detailed race or sex profile. It is that Grundy County's jail population has been small enough that one or two cases can move annual averages.
- Pretrial and sentenced split - Vera listed 1 pretrial and 1 sentenced person in the 2019 jail population row.
- Male and female counts - Vera's 2019 demographic row listed male custody and no female custody in that small sample.
- County baseline - Census QuickFacts gives a 2025 county population estimate of 12,361 and a 2020 density of 24.6 people per square mile.
- Held for other systems - no official source found a BOP, ICE, state prison, or separate city jail facility in Grundy County.
Note: With small jail counts, demographic tables can swing sharply from a single booking or release.
Grundy County Jail Capacity
The sheriff page states that the office houses the 14-bed Grundy County Jail. Vera's historical data listed 17 beds for 2013 through 2019, while the current county page publishes 14 beds. No current county overcrowding dashboard, jail expansion plan, construction project, consent decree, or official 2024 to 2026 reform announcement was found. Older news exists, including a 2018 settlement story tied to a 2016 jail death and a 2019 in-custody death report investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, but those reports should be treated as historical conditions context, not current staffing proof.
Laws Governing Grundy County Jail Records
Iowa public-record rules explain why some jail and correctional data can be requested while investigative material and some criminal identification files may be withheld. For Grundy County, the practical local route is the sheriff records process. The sheriff records page says jail public-information checks are available by written request and that the sheriff provides arrest date, arresting agency, charges, and disposition when the requester supplies the needed identifiers.
Key Statutes:
Iowa Code chapter 22 - Iowa's open-records law allows inspection and copying of public records unless a specific exception applies.
Iowa Code chapter 692 - Iowa defines arrest data and correctional data, including charge, status, location, and custody information.
Iowa Code section 904.601 - Iowa DOC must keep records for people committed to state institutions.
Iowa Code chapter 356 - Iowa law governs county jails and municipal holding facilities.
Iowa Administrative Code 201-50 - Iowa jail standards cover facility inspection and compliance rules.
Grundy County and Iowa DOC Custody
No Iowa state prison is physically listed in Grundy County. Once a person is sentenced to state custody or placed under state correctional supervision, the right lookup system changes from the county jail to Iowa DOC Offender Search. The DOC search page says records are public under Iowa Code section 904.601 and are updated weekly, but the data can change quickly. Grundy County is covered by Iowa DOC's First Judicial District community corrections for services such as pretrial services, probation, parole, pre-sentence investigation, and residential or work-release services.
The Iowa DOC Offender Search form includes name, offender number, sex, location, offense, and county-of-commitment filters.
Use that statewide system only for sentenced or supervised DOC offenders, not for a new Grundy County Jail booking.
How to Search the Grundy County Inmate Population
No verified official online Grundy County jail roster, who-is-in-jail page, booking report, or mugshot feed was located on the inspected sheriff, records, or FAQ pages. The safe search sequence starts with the sheriff for current custody, then uses the written jail public-information process for a record check, then moves to IowaVINE, Iowa DOC, BOP, ICE, and Iowa Courts Online depending on the custody stage.
The county-published written check is narrow but useful. The sheriff records page says the public can request Grundy County Jail public information records in writing. The request must include the person's full name and date of birth. If the request is mailed, include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
- Call the Grundy County Sheriff's Office at (319) 824-6933 for current-custody questions, since no separate booking desk number was published.
- Send or deliver a written jail public-information request to the sheriff's office with the person's full name and date of birth.
- Ask for the county-published fields: date of arrest, arresting agency, charges, and disposition.
- Use Iowa VINELink for custody status and notification registration when the person appears in IowaVINE.
- Use Iowa DOC, BOP, ICE, or Iowa Courts Online only when the person may be in that separate system.
Current Grundy County Inmate Lookup
Because the county did not publish a verified online roster in the reviewed sources, the usual roster-field table is replaced by the documented request-field table. Central Iowa Police-to-Citizen was inspected during research, but no official Grundy County source confirmed it as the county roster. It should not be used as the official Grundy County inmate population source unless the county later links or confirms it.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name of person searched | Written request text | Yes | The county records page says full name is required. |
| Date of birth of person searched | Written request text/date | Yes | The county records page says date of birth is required. |
| Mailing return method | Envelope | Required for mailed requests | Mailed requests require a self-addressed stamped envelope. |
| Requester contact | Written request text | Not specified | Include a mailing address, phone, or email so the sheriff can respond. |
| Record type requested | Written request text | Recommended | Ask for jail public information records by name. |
The Grundy County sheriff records page is the source for the written jail public-information process.
That page is more reliable for Grundy County custody records than an unverified third-party or regional roster result.
Past Grundy County Inmate Records
Past and released jail records are not handled through a public archive in the reviewed county materials. Use the same written sheriff records process and identify the person by full name and date of birth. Ask for jail public information records and be clear that the request is for an older booking or release. Iowa chapter 22 supports public-record access, but chapter 692 and confidentiality rules may limit some criminal identification, investigative, or older no-disposition data.
Court filings are a separate path. If the arrest led to a criminal case, use court records after a jail arrest to verify filed charges, hearing dates, and disposition through Iowa Courts Online or the Grundy County Clerk of Court.
What a Grundy County Inmate Record Shows
The sheriff's written jail public-information process defines the confirmed record fields. An internal jail file may contain more, but the public fields documented in the county records source are limited. The research did not find a county-published sample roster profile, booking number format, housing unit field, bond field, mugshot field, release-status code, or projected release-date field.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Date of arrest | The date the person was arrested according to jail public information records. |
| Arresting agency | The law-enforcement agency that made or brought in the arrest. |
| Charges | The arrest or jail charges shown in the jail public information record. |
| Disposition | The available public status or outcome information in the jail record check. |
| Full name | The required identifier supplied by the requester. |
| Date of birth | The required identifier supplied by the requester. |
County Jail vs. Iowa Prison Lookup
Readers often search the wrong system. Grundy County Jail is for local custody tied to arrests, pretrial detention, and short local jail confinement. Iowa DOC Offender Search is for sentenced state prisoners and supervised offenders. Federal BOP and ICE detainee searches are separate again. A person can move from one system to another after court action, sentencing, a warrant, a detainer, or a transfer.
| Grundy County Jail | Iowa DOC | Federal / ICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | Local arrestees, pretrial detainees, short local jail inmates | Sentenced prisoners and state-supervised offenders | Federal custody or immigration detention |
| Run by | Grundy County Sheriff's Office | Iowa Department of Corrections | BOP or ICE |
| Best lookup route | Sheriff phone and written records request | DOC offender search | BOP locator or ICE ODLS |
| Update note | No online roster update schedule located | DOC states weekly updates | BOP says daily updates; ICE rules differ |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Iowa DOC Offender Search includes filters for name, offender number, sex, location, offense, and county of commitment. Grundy appears as a county-of-commitment option. The BOP Inmate Locator is for federal inmates from 1982 to present and may show name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location. ICE ODLS uses A-number or biographical search routes for people in immigration custody.
Iowa VINELink is a custody and notification fallback, not a replacement for the sheriff records process.
VINELink is useful when a person appears in IowaVINE and the reader needs status updates or notification registration.
Grundy County Detention Facilities
The facility map resolved only one detention facility physically located in Grundy County and serving the local jail population. No municipal jail, regional jail, state prison, BOP institution, ICE detention facility, or published USMS contract jail was found in the county sources reviewed.
- Grundy County Jail - the local county jail operated by the Grundy County Sheriff's Office for arrestees, pretrial detainees, and local jail inmates.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held before the criminal case has reached final disposition.
- Disposition
- The status or outcome shown for a charge or jail record.
- Detainer
- A hold or notice from another agency that can affect release.
- DOC
- The Iowa Department of Corrections, which tracks state prisoners and supervised offenders.
Grundy County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Grundy County inmate population?
The current daily jail population was not located in official public sources. The current county-published capacity is 14 beds. Vera's most recent historical county row listed a jail population of 2 in 2019, with 27.25 admissions and a jail population rate of 26.7 per 100,000.
Can I search a public Grundy County jail roster online?
No verified official online roster was located in the sheriff, records, FAQ, or related county pages reviewed. Start with the sheriff phone line for current custody and use the written jail public-information request process for records.
What does a Grundy County jail record show?
The county records page says the sheriff provides date of arrest, arresting agency, charges, and disposition for jail public-information checks. The request must include full name and date of birth, and mailed requests need a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Where do sentenced inmates from Grundy County appear?
Sentenced state prisoners and supervised offenders belong in Iowa DOC Offender Search, not the county jail request process. Federal and immigration detainees must be searched through the BOP and ICE locator systems.
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