Fayette County Inmate Population at a Glance
The local count starts with the Fayette County Correctional Center, the sheriff-run jail in West Union. The sheriff's jail page says the correctional center opened in November 2002, houses up to 44 prisoners, and is usually full. The same official source says the jail holds Fayette County inmates, inmates from area counties, and federal inmates for the U.S. Marshals Service when needed. That mix matters because a public jail list can include people whose court case, home county, or hold authority is not a Fayette County criminal case.
Research checked on June 13, 2026 found 61 current custody rows in the official Fayette County Jail Inmate List. That row count is a point-in-time public roster observation, not an annual average daily population. It should be read beside the official capacity statement and the sheriff's own "usually full" description. Iowa law also requires jail reports and jail standards, but no public county-by-county Fayette dashboard with annual bookings, average daily population, or length-of-stay statistics was located in the official sources reviewed.
Fayette County Inmate Population Statistics
Fayette County publishes useful facility facts but not a full jail-statistics dashboard. The strongest local figures are the sheriff-published capacity, the current roster row count observed during research, the jail opening date, and the sheriff's statement that the jail is usually full. Statewide DOC figures help explain the prison side of custody, but they are not Fayette jail counts.
| Measure | Figure | Source and Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette County Correctional Center capacity | Up to 44 prisoners | Sheriff jail page, checked June 13, 2026 |
| Current public roster rows | 61 rows | Official inmate list, inspected June 13, 2026 |
| Modern jail opening | November 2002 | Sheriff jail page |
| 2013 local correctional count | 30 | Prisoners of the Census, 12/31/2013 table |
| Iowa DOC institutional count | 8,937 | Iowa DOC Daily Statistics, June 12, 2026 |
| Iowa DOC institutional capacity | 6,990 | Iowa DOC Daily Statistics, June 12, 2026 |
The public roster count being higher than the published capacity should not be treated as a legal finding. A roster row count can reflect temporary holds, timing, agency contracts, and how the website lists people. A certified jail census or inspection report would be the stronger source for any formal capacity conclusion.
Fayette County Jail Population Trends
The official sources reviewed did not publish a five-year Fayette County average daily jail population series. The available trend points are narrower: the modern jail's capacity dates to the 2002 correctional center, a 2013 correctional-population table listed a local count of 30, and the 2026 roster inspection showed a current-custody list above the stated capacity. The sheriff's "usually full" wording gives local context for that pattern without filling missing years with estimates.
| Date or Year | Population or Count | How to Read It |
|---|---|---|
| November 2002 onward | 44 capacity | Modern Fayette County Correctional Center opened with the sheriff-published capacity. |
| 12/31/2013 | 30 | High-authority correctional populations table listed Fayette Co. Jail local count. |
| June 13, 2026 | 61 roster rows | Public current-custody roster observation, not official ADP. |
| June 12, 2026 | 8,937 Iowa DOC count | State prison context for sentenced inmates, not a Fayette jail count. |
Who Is in the Fayette County Inmate Population
The Fayette County roster stores demographic fields such as race, age, gender, city, state, and ZIP inside public detail data. It does not publish a summarized demographic report by age band, race, pretrial status, sentence status, charge level, or holding agency. Because those summaries were not located, the responsible use is field-level description rather than percentage claims.
- Local and outside holds: The sheriff says the jail houses Fayette County inmates, area-county inmates, and USMS federal inmates when needed.
- Charge and hold labels: The roster can show labels such as hold for other agency, federal charge hold, probation violation, parole violation, mittimus, or a local arrest charge.
- Gender and age fields: Sample rows showed both male and female entries and ages from young adults through older adults, but no official percentage table was published.
- Residence fields: Public detail data can show city, state, and ZIP, which helps separate people with similar names.
Note: Fayette County roster fields are custody fields; the formal court case must be checked separately in Iowa Courts Online.
Laws for Fayette County Jail Records
Iowa law explains why some jail and inmate information is public, why other material can be withheld, and why the jail population is reported through official channels. The key rule is not that every jail record is online. The rule is that public records are available unless a statute, confidentiality rule, sealing order, juvenile rule, or safety exception applies.
Key Iowa access rules:
Iowa Code section 22.2 gives the public a right to examine and copy public records unless another law limits access.
Iowa Code section 22.7(5) protects many investigative reports while preserving access to basic immediate facts unless disclosure creates a serious risk.
Iowa Code Chapter 692 defines arrest and correctional data and requires warnings that an arrest without disposition is not proof of guilt.
Iowa Code section 356.49 requires sheriff monthly jail reports to the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Iowa Admin. Code chapter 201-50 sets jail rules for capacity, admission, release, separation, and incident reporting.
Where Fayette County Holds People
The Fayette County inmate population is not one database. The county jail roster covers people currently in the sheriff-run jail. The Iowa DOC Offender Search covers sentenced state prisoners, parole, probation, and community-based corrections records. BOP and ICE tools cover federal prison and immigration detention, while the county roster can still show a local federal hold if the person is physically housed at the Fayette County jail for USMS.
| System | Who It Covers | Best Lookup Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette County Correctional Center | County jail arrestees, short sentences, area-county holds, and USMS holds when housed locally | Fayette County Jail Inmate List |
| West Union Residential Facility | State community-corrections residential clients, not new jail arrestees | Iowa DOC Offender Search |
| Iowa state prisons | Sentenced state prisoners and some supervision cases | Iowa DOC Offender Search |
| Federal custody | Sentenced federal inmates from 1982 to present | BOP Inmate Locator |
| Immigration custody | ICE detainees, no Fayette ICE facility found | ICE Online Detainee Locator |
How to Search Fayette County Inmates
The official county search channel is the sheriff's Fayette County Jail Inmate List. It is free, public, and built for current custody. It has filters for name, charge, and booking date range, plus sortable columns for name, date booked, time booked, charges, and bond amount. The page also warns that arrest records are not proof or indicators of guilt.
- Open the sheriff inmate list and read the current-custody disclaimer.
- Search by name first when the spelling is known. The roster uses last-name-first display.
- Use the charge field for broad labels such as hold for other agency, federal charge hold, or probation violation.
- Use Date Booked From and Date Booked To when the arrest date is known.
- Click the inmate name to view detail data such as demographics, charge arrays, bond type, and image path when published.
- If no result appears, call the jail or check court, DOC, VINELink, BOP, or ICE channels based on the custody type.
Fayette County Roster Search Fields
The roster does not require a booking number. It works as a public list with optional filters, so a reader can scroll the current list or narrow it. If a filter returns no result, the person may have been released, transferred, listed under a different spelling, held by another agency, or not booked into Fayette County custody.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text input | No | Search by name; last-name-first display appears in results. |
| Charge(s) | Text input | No | Filters by charge or hold label. |
| Date Booked From | Text/date input | No | Start date for booking-date filter. |
| Date Booked To | Text/date input | No | End date for booking-date filter. |
| Submit | Button | Not applicable | Applies the filters. |
| Reset | Button | Not applicable | Clears the filters. |
The official roster page is the source for the current custody list shown in this screenshot.
The filters match the research inventory: name, charges, and booking date range, not booking number or housing unit.
What Fayette County Inmate Records Show
A roster result is useful for custody status, booking timing, charges, and bond clues. It is not a full criminal-history report or the official court file. The public row shows a small set of fields, while the inmate-name detail data can hold race, age, gender, city, state, ZIP, charge arrays, bond type, date bond paid if populated, and an image path when a booking photo is published.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate Name | Person listed in current Fayette County Jail custody. |
| Date and Time Booked | When the jail booking was entered on the public list. |
| Charge(s) | Arrest charge, court-order label, or hold description, not the final court outcome. |
| Bond Amount | Public amount, no-bond label, or hold-related value that should be verified with the jail. |
| Race, Age, Gender | Demographic detail fields in the public modal data. |
| Image | Booking image path when published; blank when no public image is shown. |
Past Fayette County Inmate Records
The sheriff roster does not provide a released-inmates tab or a posted retention period. Once a person leaves Fayette County Jail custody, the current list may stop being the right tool. Historical booking records may require an Iowa Chapter 22 public-records request to the lawful custodian, and fees can apply under the sheriff's published schedule. Incident reports, accident reports, traffic investigation reports, and CDs with photos or video each have local fee entries.
Past custody can also move into a different public system. Court charges and dispositions belong in Iowa Courts Online and the Clerk of Court file. Sentenced state custody, parole, probation, or community-based corrections can appear in Iowa DOC Offender Search. Victims and registered users can use IowaVINE and VINELink Iowa for custody notifications.
State and Federal Inmate Search
The Iowa DOC locator is the main lookup for people sentenced to state custody or under state supervision. Its search fields include first, middle, and last name, offender number, sex, location, offense, county of commitment, and name-search mode. Fayette can be selected as county of commitment for people convicted from Fayette County. DOC states that the data is public under Iowa Code section 904.601, updated weekly, and may change quickly.
Federal and immigration custody are separate. The BOP Inmate Locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to present and shows federal identity and custody fields, not county mugshots. The ICE Online Detainee Locator uses A-number or biographical search. No official BOP prison or ICE detention center was found in Fayette County, but a county roster row can still show a local federal hold when the jail houses someone for USMS.
Fayette County Detention Facilities
Two facilities belong in the Fayette County detention map. One is the sheriff-run county jail for current local custody. The other is a state community-corrections residential facility, which uses DOC channels rather than the county jail roster.
- Fayette County Correctional Center - the county jail in West Union for Fayette County inmates, area-county holds, short sentences, and USMS federal inmates when needed.
- West Union Residential Facility - an Iowa DOC First Judicial District residential facility for community-corrections clients, not a new-arrest jail.
Fayette County Booking and Bond Basics
After an arrest or transfer, jail intake verifies identity, authority to hold the person, property, booking data, charges or holds, and bond information. Iowa Code sections 804.21 and 804.22 require a person arrested on a warrant or without a warrant to be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. The jail roster may show a booking charge before the formal court record catches up.
For cash bond, the sheriff instructs people to verify the amount and type by calling 563-422-6067 ext. 245. During regular business hours, cash goes to the Fayette County Clerk of Court, and the certificate proving payment must be brought to the jail. After hours, the correct cash amount goes directly to the sheriff's office. Holds for another agency, federal holds, parole or probation holds, mittimus, and no-bond labels can change release options.
Fayette County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Fayette County inmate population? The sheriff-published jail capacity is up to 44 prisoners, and the official roster showed 61 current-custody rows when inspected on June 13, 2026. That is a roster observation, not a certified average daily population.
Where should a Fayette County inmate search start? Start with the official sheriff roster for current jail custody. If the person has been sentenced, transferred, or placed in state supervision, use Iowa DOC Offender Search instead.
Does Fayette County have a state prison? No Iowa state prison was officially listed in Fayette County. The West Union Residential Facility is a community-based corrections facility in the First Judicial District, not a prison or county jail.
Are booking photos always shown? No. The jail roster can store an image path when a booking photo is published, but some rows have blank image fields. No separate official mugshot archive was found.
Can VINELink replace the jail roster? VINELink is best treated as a custody-notification tool. Use the jail roster, DOC locator, or court records for details, then use IowaVINE/VINELink to register for updates where available.
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