Des Moines County Inmate Population Overview
The local Des Moines County inmate population is housed at the Des Moines County Correctional Center, the county jail operated by the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office. Official county materials identify one local detention facility for the county. No separate Burlington city jail, West Burlington city jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center was located in official sources as a physical facility in Des Moines County. That matters because the local jail count is not the same as the Iowa prison count, a Burlington Police arrest log, a federal inmate search result, or a VINE notification record.
The sheriff's office is responsible for custody and care of people housed at the Correctional Center. The jail holds adults booked by the sheriff, Burlington Police, West Burlington Police, and other agencies when they are kept in local custody. The Des Moines County inmate population changes as arrests occur, judges set release conditions, prosecutors file charges, inmates post bond, and sentenced people move to the Iowa Department of Corrections. A person who was in the jail last week may now be released, in court, in state custody, or held under another agency's authority.
The county jail page says the current Correctional Center opened in 1995 as a 68-bed direct-supervision jail. The sheriff department overview separately says the Correctional Center houses 80 inmates. Those are both county-published facts, but they should not be forced into one number. The first describes the original facility design; the second is the current county-site housing phrase.
Des Moines County Inmate Population Statistics
Published local numbers for the Des Moines County inmate population are sparse, but several official or high-authority data points give a usable picture. The county jail history gives the 1995 design figure. The sheriff overview gives the current "houses 80 inmates" language. A July 8, 2025 Des Moines County Board of Supervisors meeting minute says Sheriff Kevin Glendening reported the jail population was 89 during a department-head update. Prisoners of the Census lists a Census 2020 correctional population count of 54 for Des Moines Co. Jail.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Original facility design description | 68-bed direct-supervision jail | Des Moines County jail page, inspected June 2026 |
| Sheriff overview housing figure | Houses 80 inmates | Des Moines County Sheriff & Jail department page, inspected June 2026 |
| Jail population reported at meeting | 89 | Board of Supervisors minutes, July 8, 2025 |
| Census correctional population count | 54 | Prisoners of the Census, Census 2020 vintage |
| County population | 38,487 | Census Reporter ACS 2024 profile |
Des Moines County Jail Population Trends
The available trend points show the local jail moving from older downtown facilities to the Bauer Drive Correctional Center. The first jail history point is an 1890 20-bed facility at High Street and Main Street, where the current Burlington public library stands. About 50 years later, a courthouse jail housed around 30 inmates. The current Correctional Center opened in 1995 and is described as a 68-bed direct-supervision jail.
Modern published counts are not a full annual average-daily-population series. The Census 2020 correctional count of 54, the county-site phrase that the jail houses 80 inmates, and the July 2025 meeting count of 89 are different kinds of data. They should be read as dated signals, not a formal county dashboard. The Iowa Administrative Code defines average daily population as the average number of prisoners housed each day during a period, and no official Des Moines County annual ADP table was located in the sources reviewed.
| Year / Date | Count or Figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 20 beds | Former High and Main jail noted in county jail history |
| About 50 years after 1890 | About 30 inmates | Courthouse jail phase noted in county jail history |
| 1995 | 68 beds | Current direct-supervision jail opened |
| Census 2020 vintage | 54 | Prisoners of the Census local correctional population count |
| July 8, 2025 | 89 | County board minutes reported by Sheriff Kevin Glendening |
The July 2025 count can be compared with the county-site 80-inmate phrase, but it should not be labeled as a legal over-capacity finding without a current rated-capacity document and the Iowa jail inspection context. Capacity is a regulated term in Iowa jail rules, not just a rough bed count.
Laws Governing Des Moines County Jail Population
Iowa law shapes how jail records, jail costs, capacity, and records requests work. Iowa Code chapter 22 gives public-record access rights unless another law makes a record confidential. Iowa Code section 356.7 authorizes county inmate room-and-board reimbursement, and Des Moines County cites that section for its daily jail housing charge. Iowa Administrative Code 201 chapter 50 sets Iowa jail standards, including capacity definitions, inspections, housing standards, and incident reporting to the DOC jail inspection unit.
Key Statutes:
Iowa Code chapter 22 gives access to public records unless a specific state or federal law limits release.
Iowa Code section 356.7 supports county room-and-board charges for inmates booked and housed in a county jail.
Iowa Administrative Code 201 chapter 50 defines jail capacity and requires regular inspection and corrective action when rules are not met.
Search Des Moines County Inmate Population
An official Des Moines County public online current-inmates roster was not located on the county or sheriff pages reviewed. The practical search path is therefore a fallback chain, not a single roster link. Start with the jail phone for same-day custody, then use sheriff records for booking and report records, Iowa Courts Online for filed charges, Iowa DOC for sentenced state custody, Iowa VINE for notifications, and federal locators when the case is outside local or state custody.
- Call the Des Moines County Correctional Center at 319-753-8275 for current custody questions.
- Use the sheriff records process at 319-753-8212 or so-clerical@dmcounty.com for booking, incident, or report records.
- Search Iowa Courts Online after charges have been filed in court.
- Search Iowa DOC Offender Search if the person was sentenced or moved to state custody.
- Use Iowa VINE for custody and criminal-case notifications after verifying the correct person.
The Des Moines County inmate population search also needs the arresting agency context. Burlington Police publishes Daily Arrest Log and Daily Activity Log reports, but those are city police reports. They can help identify arrest date, incident number, offense, and arrest location. They do not prove a person is still housed at the county jail.
Des Moines County Inmate Record Sources
Because no official county roster profile was available to inspect, Des Moines County pages should not promise online fields such as mugshots, housing unit, bond by charge, booking number, or release date. The available source set points to several record types instead. A sheriff records request may seek booking or incident records. Burlington Police arrest logs may show arrest-summary fields. Iowa Courts Online shows filed court cases. Iowa DOC shows state prison and supervision records for people under DOC or district-corrections authority.
| Record Source | Best Use | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Jail phone | Current custody and local release questions | Staff may not disclose every detail by phone |
| Sheriff records request | Booking, incident, accident, and report copies | Processing ordinarily takes up to 10 business days |
| Burlington Police arrest log | City arrest facts and incident numbers | Not a county jail custody roster |
| Iowa Courts Online | Filed charges, docket events, dispositions | Not real-time jail custody |
| Iowa DOC Offender Search | State prison and supervision records | Updated weekly and separate from county jail bookings |
The sheriff records form is optional, and anonymous requests are honored. It still helps to include the person's full name, approximate arrest or booking date, arresting agency, incident number, record type requested, and delivery preference. The sheriff records page says the first 30 minutes of staff time are free, later time and materials are billed, and payment is required before records are released.
Des Moines County Jail vs State Prison
The county jail and the state prison system answer different questions. The Des Moines County Correctional Center handles local pretrial custody, short local sentences, court-authorized work release, and people waiting for court action or transfer. The Iowa Department of Corrections handles state prison custody and community supervision after a person is sentenced or committed. Federal prison custody and immigration detention use still different systems.
| Custody Type | Where to Search | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Jail phone and sheriff records | Local custody at the Des Moines County Correctional Center |
| State prison or supervision | Iowa DOC Offender Search | Sentenced state prisoners and DOC or district-corrections cases |
| Federal prison | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal Bureau of Prisons inmates from 1982 to present |
| Immigration custody | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Current ICE custody and CBP custody over 48 hours |
Des Moines County Detention Facility
The facility map resolves to one local detention facility. The Des Moines County Correctional Center is the county jail for local custody. It is not listed in the research as a state prison, federal BOP facility, or ICE detention center. People arrested by Burlington Police or West Burlington Police may be routed to the county jail if they are held locally, but those police departments do not publish separate city jail pages in the official sources reviewed.
Des Moines County Correctional Center
3630 Bauer Drive
Burlington, IA 52601
319-753-8275
County jail and inmate mail address
Des Moines County Sheriff's Office
512 N. Main St.
Burlington, IA 52601
319-753-8212
Records and administrative questions, Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Des Moines County Sheriff Custody Details
The official Des Moines County Sheriff & Jail page gives the county sheriff office contact, sheriff name, hours, patrol role, and jail overview used for the local custody routing.
That county page is also the source for the sheriff's role in custody and care at the Correctional Center, which is why jail lookup questions should not be routed first to a third-party roster site.
Des Moines County Jail Services
The county jail page publishes several service and fee details that help explain daily custody. Inmates may buy commissary once per week. JailATM is linked for commissary deposits. ProdigySales.com is used for phone, video, and text account funding. Phone calls are listed at $0.21 per minute, video calls at $0.35 per minute, and text messaging at $0.15 per message. These details are useful for families, but they do not replace a custody check.
| Service | County-Published Detail |
|---|---|
| Room and board | $55 per day under Iowa Code section 356.7 |
| Work release | $20 per working day, deducted from room and board, court-authorized only |
| Phone calls | $0.21 per minute through Prodigy |
| Video calls | $0.35 per minute through Prodigy |
| Text messaging | $0.15 per message |
| Commissary | JailATM deposits, commissary purchases once per week |
Des Moines County Inmate Population FAQ
Does Des Moines County publish a current online jail roster? No official public current-inmates roster was located on the county or sheriff pages reviewed. Use the jail phone, sheriff records process, court search, DOC search, VINE, BOP, and ICE paths as needed.
How large is the Des Moines County inmate population? The best local points are a 68-bed original design description, a sheriff overview saying the center houses 80 inmates, a July 2025 meeting count of 89, and a Census 2020 correctional count of 54. These are not the same metric.
Where do court charges appear after a jail booking? Filed charges appear in Iowa Courts Online after they are entered into the court case system. The court docket is separate from jail custody and can lag a very recent arrest.
Can VINE replace a jail search? No. Iowa VINE is useful for custody and case notifications, but a same-day custody question should still start with the jail or the responsible agency.