The Johnson County Jail inmate roster is a public resource that allows you to find out who is currently in custody at the county jail in Iowa. Through JohnsonCourt.us, you can find publicly available information about current and recently arrested individuals. Additionally, the roster is available on the official Johnson County Sheriff's website, by phone, or in person at the jail. Searching the roster allows you to check the custody status of a specific individual, view charges, and booking date. The roster is maintained by the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and is regularly updated, reflecting the current inmate population of the 92-person capacity facility.
Search Current Inmates in Johnson Jail
There are several ways to check if a specific individual is in custody at the Johnson County Jail.
Online Search
- Go to JohnsonCourt.us to search for publicly available court and arrest information.
- Open the official Johnson County Jail roster — the page displays a list of all individuals currently in custody.
- If there is no separate search field on the roster page, use the browser's "Find on page" function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) to enter the last name.
You will need the individual's full legal name or booking number, if known, to search. Juvenile offenders are not displayed in the public roster.
By Phone
Call the jail and inquire if a specific individual is in custody. The operator can confirm the presence of an inmate by full name or booking number.
In Person
You can visit the Johnson County Jail and make an inquiry in the facility's lobby.
Johnson County Jail
For arrest record inquiries, contact the Records Division of the Sheriff's Office at 319-356-6020, ext. 3.
Find Johnson Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created when a detained individual undergoes the booking process at the jail. This is not the same as a court case — booking records the fact of taking an individual into custody.
During booking, the following information is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of custody
- Charges filed
- Arresting agency
- Individual's identification details (name, date of birth, photo)
Booking records for individuals currently in custody can be viewed through the online jail roster. Each record in the roster typically includes charges and booking date.
If you need information about a person who has already been released or more detailed records, contact the Sheriff's Office Records Division. To check criminal history at the state level in Iowa, you can submit a request through the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) of the Department of Public Safety. If the individual has been transferred to a state facility, use the Iowa Department of Corrections offender search.
Search the Johnson Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The official Johnson County Jail roster offers two main search methods.
Search by Last Name
The roster displays a list of inmates, usually in alphabetical order. To find a specific individual:
- Open the roster page.
- Scroll through the list or use the browser's Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) function.
- Enter the last name in Latin characters — exact spelling matters.
If the last name is common, add the first name to narrow the results. Partial matches work only through the browser's search function — enter the first few letters of the last name if unsure of the full spelling.
Search by Booking Number
The booking number is a unique identifier assigned during processing. It provides an exact result without the risk of confusion with namesakes. This number is usually given to relatives during the first contact after arrest.
If the Search Yields No Results
- Check the spelling of the first and last name.
- The individual may not have been entered into the roster yet — the booking process takes some time after arrest.
- The person may have already been released on bail or by court decision.
- Call the jail at 319-356-6020, ext. 5, to clarify the status.
- Check Iowa Courts Online for Johnson County — the case may already be registered in court.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Johnson
The Johnson County Jail inmate roster is updated regularly throughout the day, but not instantly. Between the actual arrest and the appearance of the record in the online roster, it can take from a few minutes to several hours, depending on staff workload and time of day.
Key limitations to consider:
- Delay after arrest. An individual appears in the roster only after the full booking procedure is completed. If the arrest was recent, the record may not yet be displayed.
- Disappearance after release. When an inmate is released, their record is removed from the roster. The roster shows only those currently in custody.
- Not an archive. This tool does not store the history of all past bookings. For archival data, contact the Sheriff's Records Division or submit a criminal history check request through Iowa DCI.
- Data entry errors. Sometimes a name may be recorded with an error or in an abbreviated form. Try variations of spelling if the initial search yields no results.
According to Section 22 of the Iowa Code, arrest and booking records are public documents. However, some details — medical information, juvenile records, materials of ongoing investigations — may be restricted from public access. If you need information not displayed in the roster, contact the Sheriff's Office directly.