Monroe County Inmate Population Overview
The Monroe County inmate population is centered on one local detention site: the Monroe County Jail, operated by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in Albia. Official county research found no separate city jail, regional jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center in Monroe County. That makes the local map simple, but the lookup path still has several parts. People arrested by sheriff deputies, Albia Police, court order, warrant, or another local agency may enter the county jail. People later sentenced to Iowa Department of Corrections custody leave the local jail lookup path and belong in the state offender search.
The official county sheriff page states that Sheriff Joe Worth's office maintains the county jail and patrols almost 552 miles of roads, plus municipal streets. Those duties explain why the Monroe County inmate population can include rural patrol arrests, Albia-area arrests, warrant commitments, court holds, and short county sentences. Current online roster access is limited. No official Monroe County online jail roster was located in the county, city, or state sources reviewed, so local custody checks rely on the sheriff phone line, in-person contact, IowaVINE custody notices, Iowa Courts Online, and Iowa Chapter 22 records requests.
The official Monroe County Sheriff's Office page is the local source for the jail operator and capacity statement.
That county page supports the local jail facts used for Monroe County inmate population and custody-search content.
Monroe County Inmate Population Statistics
Monroe County does not publish a current daily jail dashboard in the official sources reviewed for this build. The strongest official local number is the jail capacity published by the sheriff's office. Historical county figures come from the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, which is based on federal jail data and later supplements, and from the Prison Policy Initiative Census 2020 correctional facility locator. Those sources are useful for trend context, but they should not be read as a live roster or a current jail count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 26 beds | Monroe County Sheriff's Office, accessed June 13, 2026 |
| Current daily population | Not published | No official county current count located |
| 2019 jail population/count | 24 | Vera Incarceration Trends county data, FIPS 19135 |
| 2019 annual admits | 74.25 | Vera Incarceration Trends county data |
| 2020 facility count | 8 prisoners | Prison Policy Initiative Census 2020 correctional facility locator |
Monroe County Inmate Population Trends
The Monroe County inmate population trend data shows the usual volatility of a small jail. A count of 24 in 2019 was close to the current official 26-bed capacity, while prior years in the Vera dataset ranged much lower. Because one or two arrests can change a small facility's utilization rate, the trend is more useful as context than as a promise about today's count. The county did not publish a modern annual jail report, daily dashboard, average length of stay, or current demographic table in the official sources reviewed.
| Year | Jail Pop/Count | Rated Capacity | Annual Admits | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 24 | 26 | 74.25 | Near official current bed capacity. |
| 2018 | 10 | 24.33 | 85 | Lower count with higher admits. |
| 2017 | 2 | 22.67 | 89.75 | Very low county snapshot. |
| 2016 | 10 | 21 | 62 | Small-jail fluctuation visible. |
| 2015 | 7 | 19.33 | 63.5 | Historical small-jail count. |
Who Makes Up Monroe County Custody
Vera's 2019 Monroe County table separated people in custody by sex, race categories, and pretrial or sentenced status. The dataset listed 6 people in pretrial custody and 18 sentenced in 2019, with 9 male, 0 female, 1 Black, 0 Latinx, and 8 White in the visible demographic fields. Some prior-year fields are partial or approximate, so those entries should be used cautiously. Official county pages did not publish a current local demographic dashboard, charge-level split, or hold-type table.
- Pretrial custody: Vera listed 6 people in pretrial Monroe County custody for 2019.
- Sentenced custody: Vera listed 18 sentenced people in the county jail count for 2019.
- Sex fields: Vera's 2019 county row listed 9 male and 0 female in the available fields.
- Current demographics: no official Monroe County current jail demographic report was located.
Note: Historical data is not a live custody list, and current status still needs confirmation through the sheriff or IowaVINE.
Monroe County Jail Capacity
The official capacity number matters because Monroe County Jail is small. With 26 beds, a weekend group of arrests, several no-bond holds, or delayed transfers can change the apparent pressure on the facility quickly. No official local source reviewed for this project reported current overcrowding litigation, a consent decree, a jail expansion project, a recent closure, or a modern daily-capacity dashboard. The 2019 Vera count of 24 is dated, but it shows that historical counts have at times approached the current bed count published by the sheriff.
Iowa jail oversight is statewide. Iowa Code requires minimum jail standards and inspection authority, while Iowa Administrative Code jail rules cover inspection, operating procedures, classification, medical services, communication, access to courts, and records. Those rules help define how Iowa county jails operate, but they do not publish Monroe County's daily count for the public.
Laws Governing Monroe County Jail Data
Monroe County jail records sit inside Iowa's public-records and jail-standards framework. Iowa Code Chapter 22 gives the public a right to examine and copy public records unless an exception applies. Iowa Code section 22.7 protects some law-enforcement investigative materials, juvenile materials, medical records, safety-sensitive information, and other confidential records. At the same time, research notes that date, time, location, and immediate facts of an incident generally cannot be withheld under the peace-officer investigative-report subsection unless disclosure would create a serious investigative or safety risk.
Key statutes:
Iowa Code Chapter 22 gives every person the right to examine and copy public records unless a legal exception applies.
Iowa Code section 22.7(5) protects some peace-officer investigative reports while leaving basic incident facts subject to public access in many cases.
Iowa Code section 356.36 requires Iowa DOC to draw up minimum jail standards for county and municipal detention facilities.
IAC 201 Chapter 50 sets detailed Iowa jail facility rules for inspection, security, medical care, communication, and records.
Monroe County and State Prison
No Iowa Department of Corrections prison is located in Monroe County according to the Iowa DOC districts and prisons list. Sentenced Monroe County offenders may still enter Iowa DOC custody at facilities elsewhere, such as Anamosa, Clarinda, Fort Dodge, Mitchellville, Coralville, Fort Madison, Rockwell City, Newton, or Mount Pleasant. Once that transfer occurs, the county jail is no longer the main search source. Use the Iowa DOC Offender Search and, when needed, the Iowa DOC open-records request process.
| Custody Type | Who Runs It | Search Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local arrest or short county custody | Monroe County Sheriff's Office | Sheriff phone, in person, IowaVINE, Chapter 22 request |
| State prison or DOC supervision | Iowa Department of Corrections | Iowa DOC Offender Search |
| Federal sentenced custody | Federal Bureau of Prisons | BOP Inmate Locator |
| Immigration custody | ICE | ICE Online Detainee Locator System |
How to Search Monroe County Inmates
A Monroe County inmate search should start with the fact that no official online county jail roster was located. The practical local chain is direct sheriff contact, in-person contact at the Law Enforcement Center, IowaVINE for custody notices, Iowa Courts Online for filed charges, and a Chapter 22 request when a booking record is not published. A person can move between these systems as a case changes, so custody status and court record status should be checked separately.
- Call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 641-932-7815 and ask whether the person is currently held, recently released, or transferred.
- Visit the Sheriff's Office at 114 19th Ave West, Albia, Iowa 52531, if staff advise in-person contact is needed.
- Use IowaVINE/VINELink for custody-status notification in county jail or state prison custody.
- Check Iowa Courts Online for public criminal charges after a case is filed.
- Use the Iowa DOC, BOP, or ICE locator if the person is no longer in local county custody.
Monroe County Current Inmate Lookup
The county roster search-field table is short because no official Monroe County online roster form was located. That absence is a reader-facing fact. If a person is believed to be in the Monroe County Jail now, the sheriff's office is the local custodian to contact first. If the person is in state prison, on parole, on probation, or in a work-release/community-supervision status, the Iowa DOC form has searchable fields that are separate from county jail records.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County roster form | Not available | Not available | No official online county roster form was located. |
| First Name | Text | Unspecified | Iowa DOC name-search field for state custody. |
| Last Name | Text | Unspecified | Iowa DOC name-search field for state custody. |
| Offender Number | Text | Unspecified | Iowa DOC offender number field. |
| County of Commitment | Dropdown | Optional/unspecified | Iowa DOC includes Monroe among Iowa county options. |
The Iowa DOC offender-search form is useful after state commitment, not for a new Monroe County Jail booking.
Use the state form only when the custody type points away from the county jail and toward Iowa DOC custody or supervision.
Past Monroe County Inmate Records
Released or older Monroe County inmate records may not be visible through a simple web search because the county did not publish an official booking archive in the sources reviewed. For a past booking, start with the Sheriff's Office and give the person's full name, date of birth if known, booking or arrest date, arresting agency, case number, and the record type requested. Iowa Code Chapter 22 permits public-records requests to the lawful custodian, while reasonable expenses or actual costs may apply under Iowa Code section 22.3.
Past custody can also leave traces in court and state systems. Iowa Courts Online can show filed criminal cases, charges, dispositions, fines, fees, and hearings. Iowa DCI criminal history checks are separate statewide background records and cost $15 per last name according to the Iowa DPS/DCI page. DOC records cover sentenced prison and supervision status, not a local county booking sheet.
What Monroe County Inmate Records Show
No public Monroe County roster profile was located for field-by-field inspection. The safe way to read Monroe County inmate records is to separate local booking facts from court and state correctional facts. A booking record may identify intake date, arrest basis, arresting agency, property or classification data, and a booking photo if releasable. Court records show filed charges and case status after entry. DOC records show state supervision or prison data after commitment.
| Field | Monroe County Public Status |
|---|---|
| Booking number | No official public county roster profile located to confirm the field. |
| Booking date/time | Request from the sheriff or check related court timing if a case is filed. |
| Mugshot | No county mugshot roster located; request may require Chapter 22 review. |
| Charges | Verify filed charges in Iowa Courts Online after court entry. |
| Bond | Some bond detail may require clerk contact, subscription, or courthouse terminal access. |
| Release/status | Check the Sheriff's Office and IowaVINE. |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Several official tools can help when Monroe County local custody is not the answer. The Iowa.gov inmate guide points users toward DOC searches and DOC contact information. The BOP Inmate Locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present and includes fields such as name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System covers current ICE custody and CBP custody after more than 48 hours. USMS Southern District of Iowa contact may matter for unresolved federal pretrial custody questions.
The Iowa VINELink page is the custody-notification source documented for Iowa.
VINELink is not a full archive, but it can alert registered users about custody events such as release, transfer, or escape.
Monroe County Detention Facilities
The facility map for Monroe County has one entry. The Monroe County Jail is the local county-jail facility for people held after arrest, on local court commitments, or in short county custody. No separate Albia city jail, Monroe County state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention facility was identified in official sources.
- Monroe County Jail - county jail and local detention facility operated by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
Monroe County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Monroe County inmate population? A current daily count was not published in official county sources. The sheriff page lists a 26-bed jail, while Vera historical data listed a 2019 county jail count of 24.
Can Monroe County inmates be searched online? No official county jail roster was located. Use the sheriff phone line, IowaVINE, Iowa Courts Online, records requests, and the DOC/BOP/ICE locators as custody changes.
Does Iowa DOC show Monroe County Jail inmates? No. Iowa DOC covers state prison, parole, probation, work release, and related supervision after state commitment, not new local jail bookings.