Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026.
Grinnell, Iowa, in Poweshiek County, has about 9,500 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Grinnell is held at the county jail, run by the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Grinnell public records, Poweshiek County inmate search, Grinnell arrest records, Grinnell warrants, Grinnell criminal records, Grinnell court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Grinnell
The county jail, run by the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Grinnell, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office at poweshiekcountyiowa.gov/sheriff/dispatch_jailers (page title: Dispatch & Jailers | Sheriff | Poweshiek County, Iowa), 302 East Main Montezuma, IA 50171, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Poweshiek County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 22 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 59 beds, and it ran at 37 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Poweshiek County has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 12 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Poweshiek County Jail
The Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Grinnell (filed by the FBI as Grinnell Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Grinnell.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Grinnell's 175 for 2025 and the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office's 40 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Poweshiek County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 215 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Grinnell arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Poweshiek County serves the sentence in a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Grinnell?
Ask the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at poweshiekcountyiowa.gov.
How many people are in the Poweshiek County jail?
About 22 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 59 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Poweshiek County go?
To a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Is this the official Grinnell website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.