The Decatur County Inmate Population
The Decatur County inmate population is centered on one local facility, the Decatur County Jail in Leon. The jail is operated by the Decatur County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Chris Lane and is the local place for arrests, warrant bookings, short local sentences, probation holds, and other local custody events. No official source found a separate county annex, regional jail, city jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center inside Decatur County. That makes the county jail roster the first custody source for most local arrests.
Counts can change quickly because a small county jail is affected by each booking, release, bond order, court appearance, or transfer. The live roster showed six current public entries during the June 13, 2026 research inspection, but that is a point-in-time roster count, not an average daily population. A person arrested in Decatur County may appear on the jail roster first, then later move to Iowa Department of Corrections records after a prison sentence, or to a federal or immigration locator if another agency takes custody.
Decatur County Inmate Population Statistics
Current Decatur County jail population data is limited in official public sources, so the most reliable figures come from the live county-linked BlueHorse roster and the Vera Institute incarceration datasets cited in the research file. The county website does not publish a current average daily population, current annual bookings, or a current demographic dashboard. For that reason, each figure below is labeled by source and date rather than treated as a live daily count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current live roster count at inspection | 6 public entries | BlueHorse GetInmates2 service, June 13, 2026 UTC |
| Rated / bed capacity | 24 beds | Vera jail-construction dataset, 2013 new jail row with 2022 sheriff-office call note |
| 2019 total jail population | 8 | Vera county-level incarceration trends dataset, 2019 |
| 2019 total jail population rate | 172.56 per 100,000 ages 15-64 | Vera county-level incarceration trends dataset, 2019 |
| 2019 total incarceration rate | 603.97 per 100,000 ages 15-64 | Vera county-level incarceration trends dataset, 2019 |
Decatur County Inmate Population Trends
Historical Vera data shows a small Decatur County jail population across the 2000 through 2019 county rows. The available values move from low single digits to eight people in 2019. Because the jail is small, a change of two or three people can look large in percentage terms. The research file also warns that the 2019 admissions figure is much lower than prior years and should be used only with its source label.
The 2013 construction dataset row records a new jail project and a 24-bed count. That capacity source is useful for the Decatur County inmate population page, but it is not a current county web statement of daily occupancy. No current official overcrowding finding, consent decree, jail population dashboard, or recent new-jail project after the 2013 context was found.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Rated Capacity | Total Jail Admissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4 | 11 | 38.5 |
| 2016 | 6 | 13.5 | 60.5 |
| 2017 | 6 | 16 | 54.75 |
| 2018 | 7 | 18.5 | 48.75 |
| 2019 | 8 | 21 | 4.25 |
Who Makes Up Decatur County Inmates
Published current demographic detail for Decatur County inmates was not found in official county sources. The research file does not compile live roster demographics from named detainees, because public site content should not republish private profile details from current individual records. The best county-level demographic snapshot in the research is the 2019 Vera row, which is historical and may not match the current jail population.
- Pretrial and sentenced split: Vera reports seven people in pretrial custody and one sentenced person in 2019.
- Sex breakdown: Vera reports six male and one female jail population entries in 2019, with totals affected by rounding or missing data.
- Race fields: Vera reports seven white jail population entries in 2019 and zero in several other populated race fields.
- Current holds: The county roster can show detainers, bonds, housing, and farm-out fields when those tabs are populated.
These figures are useful for context, not for deciding whether a specific person is in custody today. For a current custody question, use the live jail roster first and then call the jail if the roster is unclear.
Laws Governing Decatur County Inmate Data
Iowa law is the backdrop for Decatur County inmate population records. Public-record access starts with Chapter 22, while jail operation and reporting duties are addressed in Chapter 356. Iowa does not publish a single Decatur County jail population dashboard in the sources reviewed, but state law still explains why jail records, reports, and inspection rules matter.
Key Statutes:
Iowa Code § 22.2 gives people the right to examine and copy public records unless another law limits access.
Iowa Code § 22.3 allows supervision of record inspection and reasonable actual-cost fees for copies and staff time.
Iowa Code § 356.36 requires statewide minimum jail standards developed with law-enforcement and county input.
Iowa Code § 356.49 requires sheriffs to file monthly jail reports with male, female, and juvenile counts.
Decatur County and Iowa Prison Records
No Iowa state prison is located in Decatur County. The Iowa Department of Corrections connection is community corrections through the Fifth Judicial District, which lists a Decatur County office in Leon. When a person arrested in Decatur County is sentenced to state prison or state supervision, the county jail roster is no longer the main lookup tool.
The Iowa DOC Offender Search is the statewide source for sentenced prisoners and DOC-supervised people. It has fields for first, middle, and last name, offender number, sex, location, offense, county of commitment, and name-search type. The DOC notice says offender information is public under Iowa law, updated weekly, and not warranted as complete or current at every moment.
The Iowa DOC daily statistics dashboard reported 8,937 institutional current count and 6,990 institutional capacity on June 12, 2026, with community-based corrections totals reported separately. Those are statewide figures, not Decatur County Jail numbers, but they show why state custody must be searched outside the county roster.
The manifest includes the Iowa DOC Offender Search form used for sentenced prisoner and community-supervision lookup.
Use that state locator when the Decatur County inmate population search shifts from local jail custody to a prison sentence or DOC supervision.
Search Decatur County Inmate Population
The official local roster channel is the BlueHorse current-inmates interface linked from the county sheriff page. It covers current public Decatur County Jail entries, not old bookings, state prisoners, federal inmates, or immigration custody. During inspection, the vendor page loaded facility metadata for Decatur County Jail and the current inmate list populated automatically.
The roster may behave differently by browser and security context. The research notes that HTTPS returned expired-certificate or 403 behavior for direct clients, while the plain HTTP roster rendered and services responded. If the roster does not load, the phone and in-person channels are not secondary in value. They are the practical local fallback.
- Open the county sheriff page and follow the current-inmates link, or go to the Decatur County BlueHorse roster.
- Wait for the Decatur County Jail name and current list to load.
- Use the first-name and last-name filters, or leave both blank to view the current list.
- Open a listed profile to check charges, bonds, detainers, incarceration information, inmate information, and court tabs.
- If the person is not listed, call the jail, check Iowa Courts Online, search Iowa DOC, and use federal or ICE locators when those systems fit.
Current Decatur County Roster Fields
The BlueHorse roster is built around current entries. Its public current search uses first-name and last-name filters, and the list updates on screen without a separate public search button. The vendor markup also contains past-inmate fields, but Decatur County jail metadata returned PastInmatesPublic: 0, so public historical search should be treated as unavailable online unless the county changes that setting.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional / unspecified | Filters current list entries by first-name attribute. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional / unspecified | Filters current list entries by last-name attribute. |
| Past Inmate tab | Tab | Disabled for public | PastInmatesPublic returned 0 for Decatur County. |
| Perm Id / State Id | Text | Past-search fields | Shown in markup, but not a public Decatur search route. |
| Agency Login | User name and password | Required | Agency-only access, not for public use. |
The manifest includes the BlueHorse current-inmates interface linked for Decatur County Jail.
The roster screenshot matches the local custody channel and should be read with the county's phone fallback for current release, bond, or hold questions.
Past Decatur County Inmate Records
Released or older Decatur County inmate records are not handled the same way as current custody. The BlueHorse interface contains past-inmate search controls, but the Decatur County jail metadata says public past-inmate access is off. That makes a Chapter 22 public-records request to the Sheriff's Office or Jail the likely county route for an older booking record, police report, or booking photo that is not shown online.
The sheriff page publishes local copy and report fees, including copies at $0.50 per page and police reports at $10. No dedicated sheriff records portal, records email, or processing deadline was found. A request should identify the person, approximate booking or arrest date, requested record type, and whether the request is for an arrest report, jail booking record, roster data, or booking photo.
What Decatur County Inmate Records Show
A Decatur County inmate record on the current roster can contain several layers. The list level can show a booking number, name fields, date of birth, jacket number, housing location, release date if applicable, and farm-out field. A profile can add image, demographics, housing, charges, detainers, bonds, incarceration information, and court tab data when those fields are public and populated.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Booking Number | The jail booking identifier for the current custody event. |
| Jacket Number | A local person identifier that may connect more than one booking. |
| Housing Location | Building, pod, cell, bed, or location-style values inside the jail. |
| Charges | Code, description, type, disposition, case number, OTN, and offense date when available. |
| Bonds and Detainers | Agency, bond type, bond amount, bond status, and hold information. |
| Court Tab | Court, date, room, and hearing type if populated by the roster. |
Decatur County Jail vs Iowa DOC
The county jail roster and state DOC locator answer different questions. The Decatur County Jail roster is for current local custody. Iowa DOC search is for sentenced prisoners and community-corrections clients. Federal BOP and ICE searches are separate again. Searching only one database can miss the person if custody changed after arrest.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Local pretrial or short sentence | Decatur County Jail roster | Current public jail entries in Leon. |
| State prison or supervision | Iowa DOC Offender Search | Sentenced prisoners and DOC-supervised people, with weekly update notice. |
| Federal custody | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates from 1982 forward. |
| Immigration custody | ICE Online Detainee Locator System | Current ICE custody and CBP custody over 48 hours. |
Courts, Bond, and Sheriff App
Jail roster charges are not the final court record. Formal court records after a Decatur County arrest are searched through Iowa Courts Online and the Decatur County Clerk of Court. The roster charge tab can help locate a case number, but amended charges, dismissals, pleas, hearing dates, and dispositions belong to the court record.
Bond also crosses systems. The roster Bonds and Detainers tabs may show bond amount, type, agency, and status, but the Iowa Judicial Branch uniform bond schedule applies only in defined pre-appearance settings. After the first appearance, the judicial officer sets release conditions under Iowa law. Call the jail before assuming a payment method, because the county does not publish local bond-payment logistics.
Decatur County announced the Decatur County Sheriff Iowa app on March 7, 2025, with store listings for Google Play and the Apple App Store. The app is a public-safety communication, tip, and news tool. The research did not confirm inmate roster, warrant search, mugshot, records request, bond, or commissary features in the app.
Decatur County Detention Facilities
The Decatur County inmate population has one confirmed local detention facility in current official and high-authority sources. Leon police operations were disbanded as of late 2024, and available city-level custody routing points back to the sheriff. Lamoni has police services, but no municipal jail page was found.
- Decatur County Jail - county-operated local jail for pretrial detainees, local jail inmates, sentenced local inmates, warrant or probation holds, and holds pending release or transfer when applicable.
Decatur County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Decatur County inmate population?
The live BlueHorse roster returned six current public entries during the June 13, 2026 research inspection. Vera's 2019 county-level row reported a total jail population of eight. Neither number should be treated as today's guaranteed count, because bookings and releases change the jail population throughout the week.
Can released Decatur County inmates be searched online?
Public past-inmate access appears disabled in the Decatur County BlueHorse metadata. For older jail booking records, use Iowa Courts Online for case status and make a Chapter 22 records request to the Decatur County Sheriff's Office or Jail when the needed booking record is not online.
Where are sentenced Decatur County prisoners searched?
Use Iowa DOC Offender Search for sentenced prisoners and DOC-supervised people. The county jail roster is a current local custody roster, while the DOC locator is a separate state system with its own fields and update notice.
Does Decatur County have more than one jail?
No separate county annex, regional jail, municipal jail, state prison, BOP facility, or ICE detention center was confirmed inside Decatur County. The resolved facility page set contains the Decatur County Jail in Leon.