The Des Moines County jail roster is a public resource that lists individuals currently held at the Des Moines County Correctional Center in Iowa. DesMoinesCourt.us can help you find publicly available information about current and recent inmates, including booking details and charges. You can also access jail roster information through the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office jail page, by calling the jail directly, or by visiting in person. The roster is maintained by the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office and serves as a transparency tool, letting the public verify who is in county custody. It is updated as bookings and releases are processed.
Search Current Inmates in Des Moines County Jail
There are several ways to look up someone currently held at the Des Moines County Correctional Center.
Online Search
- Visit DesMoinesCourt.us to search for publicly available court and inmate information related to Des Moines County.
- Check the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office jail page for current roster listings, facility details, and contact information.
- If the person has been transferred to state custody, use the Iowa Offender Search tool, which covers inmates in Iowa Department of Corrections facilities and those on parole.
To search, you will generally need:
- The individual's full legal name (first and last name)
- A booking number, if available
Juvenile offenders are not included on any public jail roster.
By Phone
Call the Des Moines County Correctional Center directly to ask whether a specific individual is currently in custody. Staff can confirm if someone is booked and provide general booking information over the phone.
In Person
You can visit the jail in person during regular business hours to inquire about a current inmate.
Des Moines County Correctional Center
For broader questions about the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office and its services, including civil and records divisions, visit the sheriff's main page or call during office hours.
Find Des Moines County Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created each time someone is processed into the Des Moines County Correctional Center. This happens after an arrest or when a person is remanded into custody by a court. During booking, jail staff collect identifying information and document the circumstances of the detention.
A typical booking record includes:
- Booking number
- Date and time of booking
- Full legal name and physical description
- Charges at the time of booking
- Arresting agency (e.g., Burlington Police, Iowa State Patrol, Des Moines County Sheriff)
- Bond amount, if set
Current booking records are generally viewable on the jail roster. For records that are no longer displayed on the active roster — such as those for individuals who have been released — you can submit a public records request to the Sheriff's Office. The Des Moines County Sheriff's records request page explains how to submit a request and outlines any associated costs.
If you need a formal criminal history rather than a single booking record, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation handles statewide criminal history record checks through the Department of Public Safety.
Search the Des Moines County Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The Des Moines County jail roster generally supports two search approaches:
Search by Last Name
- Navigate to the roster listing on the sheriff's jail page or through DesMoinesCourt.us.
- Enter the individual's last name. Adding a first name can help narrow results, especially for common surnames.
- If the roster displays as a browsable list rather than a search field, use your browser's built-in find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac) to locate a name quickly.
Search by Booking Number
If you have a booking number — often provided by the arresting agency, an attorney, or a bail bondsman — enter it directly. This is the fastest way to pull up a specific record without ambiguity.
Tips for Better Results
- Use the individual's full legal name, not a nickname or alias.
- Double-check spelling. A single wrong letter can cause a search to return zero results.
- If a partial name search is supported, try entering just the last name first and then scanning the results.
- Hyphenated or multi-part last names may be entered differently than expected — try variations.
No Results?
If your search returns nothing, it may mean:
- The person has not yet been fully processed into the system.
- They have already been released or transferred.
- The name was entered differently at booking (middle name used as first name, legal name vs. common name, etc.).
- The person is held in a different facility — check the Iowa DOC Offender Search for state prison inmates or the Iowa.gov inmate locator page for additional options.
When in doubt, call the jail at (319) 753-8212 and ask staff to confirm whether someone is currently in custody.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Des Moines County
The Des Moines County jail roster is updated as bookings and releases are processed, but there can be a lag between an event and when it appears online. Several factors affect timeliness:
- Booking delays: An individual may be physically at the jail but not yet appear on the roster if intake processing is still underway. This can take several hours, especially during nights, weekends, or periods of high volume.
- Release delays: After someone is released — whether on bond, by court order, or after serving a sentence — their record may remain on the roster briefly or disappear before the release is formally reflected.
- Data entry lags: Staff enter booking data manually in many county jails. Typos, backlogs, or system downtime can delay when a record becomes searchable.
It is important to understand what the roster does and does not show:
- The roster reflects current custody status only. It is not a historical archive of everyone ever booked into the jail.
- Once an individual is released or transferred, their record is typically removed from the active roster.
- For older booking records or historical data, submit a records request through the Sheriff's Office records request process.
- Court case information tied to a booking — such as hearing dates, case disposition, or sentencing — is maintained separately by the Iowa Judicial Branch District Court for Des Moines County, which is part of Judicial District 8.
If you cannot find someone on the roster and believe they should be in custody, contact the jail directly. Staff can confirm current status and, in some cases, let you know if the person was recently released or moved to another facility.