The Iowa Department of Corrections runs the search for people in Iowa state prisons. Here is how to use it, what it covers, and where to look if the person is not there.
- Agency
- Iowa Department of Corrections
- Official search
- Iowa Offender Search
- ID number
- offender number
How to search the Iowa DOC inmate list
The Iowa Department of Corrections runs a public search called Iowa Offender Search. You can search by first, middle and last name, offender number, sex, location, offense or county of commitment.
- The department says it updates the information weekly.
The number to write down is the offender number. You will need it to send money or mail, to set up calls and visits, and to find the same person again.
Iowa state prisons we list
We do not copy the Iowa prison inmate list yet. These are the state prisons in our Iowa directory, with address, phone and visiting basics. Use the department's search above to find a person.
- 605 Center State prison in Davenport
- Anamosa State Penitentiary State prison in Anamosa
- Anchor Center State prison in Cedar Rapids
- Beje Clark Residential Center(mason City Res) State prison in Mason City
- Burlington Residential Facility State prison in Burlington
- Clarinda Academy State prison in Clarinda
- Clarinda Correctional Facility State prison in Clarinda
- Council Bluffs Residential Correctional Facility State prison in Council Bluffs
- Council Bluffs Residential Treatment Center State prison in Council Bluffs
- Dubuque Residential Facility State prison in Dubuque
- Forest Ridge Academy State prison in Gruver
- Fort Des Moines Community Corrections Complex State prison in Des Moines
- Fort Dodge Correctional Facility State prison in Fort Dodge
- Fort Dodge Residential Center State prison in Fort Dodge
- Fresh Start Women's Center (women's Residential Correctional Facility) State prison in Des Moines
- Gerald R Hinzman Center (cedar Rapids Residential) State prison in Cedar Rapids
- Hope House State prison in Coralville
- Iowa Correctional Institution for Women State prison in Mitchellville
- Iowa Medical & Classification Center State prison in Coralville
- Iowa State Penitentiary State prison in Fort Madison
- Lary A Nelson Center (cedar Rapids Work Release) State prison in Cedar Rapids
- Marshalltown Residential Center State prison in Marshalltown
- Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility State prison in Mount Pleasant
- Newton Correctional Facility State prison in Newton
- North Central Correctional Facility State prison in Rockwell City
- Ottumwa Residential Facility State prison in Ottumwa
- Residential Correctional Facility, Davenport State prison in Davenport
- Sioux City Residential Treatment Facility State prison in Sioux City
- Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility State prison in Waterloo
- Waterloo Women's Center for Change State prison in Waterloo
- West Union Residential Facility State prison in West Union
- Woodward Academy State prison in Woodward
Which IDOC do you need?
"IDOC" is short for more than one state's corrections department, and each one searches only its own state. This page is about the Iowa Department of Corrections. If the person was sentenced in another state, use that state's page:
- Idaho: Idaho Department of Correction. Search tool: Resident/Client Search. Search by last name or IDOC number (at least the first two letters of the last name, or the first three digits of the number).
- Illinois: Illinois Department of Corrections. Search tool: Individual in Custody Search. Search by name.
- Indiana: Indiana Department of Correction. Search tool: Incarcerated Search. Search by last name, first and last name, or DOC number.
State prison, county jail or federal prison?
The Iowa Department of Corrections holds people serving state prison sentences. Someone arrested in the last few days is almost always in a county jail instead, and will not show up in the state prison search yet. For a recent arrest, start with the county: open our Iowa page and pick the county where the arrest happened.
People sentenced for federal crimes are held by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which has its own search. See federal inmate search (BOP).
After you find them
- Visits: most prisons require you to be on the person's approved visitor list first. How visiting works.
- Money: how to send money and how commissary works.
- Mail and calls: sending mail, phone calls and video visits.
- Release and transfer alerts: VINE notifications.
Questions
What do I need to search the Iowa DOC inmate list?
The Iowa Offender Search lets you search by first, middle and last name, offender number, sex, location, offense or county of commitment. A full legal name or the ID number works best.
Someone was just arrested in Iowa. Will they be in the Iowa DOC search?
Usually not. People who were just arrested are held in a county jail first. They are moved to a state prison only after a sentence to state prison. Check the county jail where the arrest happened.
What does IDOC stand for?
It depends on the state. The Idaho Department of Correction, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Indiana Department of Correction all use IDOC on their own websites, and people also use it for the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Can one IDOC search find people in another state?
No. Each department only lists people in its own state system. Search the state where the person was sentenced.
Is searchinmates.org part of the Iowa Department of Corrections?
No. searchinmates.org is a private website. It is not affiliated with the Iowa Department of Corrections or any government agency. The department's own search is the source of record.
Sources
We opened each of these pages on October 14, 2026. Rules and numbers change, so check the source before you act.
- Iowa Offender Search, Iowa Department of Corrections. How the search works and what it covers.
- Correctional Institutions, Bureau of Justice Statistics. How jails (run locally) differ from prisons (run by a state or the federal government).
searchinmates.org is a private website, not a government site, and is not affiliated with any agency named here. This page is general information, not legal advice. Removing a record from our site is always free: request removal.