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 on September 24, 2026.
Benton County, Iowa, has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Benton County is held at the county jail, run by the Benton 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: Benton County public records, Benton County arrest records, Benton County warrants, Benton County criminal records, Benton County court records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Benton County
The county jail, run by the Benton County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Benton County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Benton County Sheriff's Office at bentoncountyia.gov/sheriff/civil_division (page title: Civil Division | Sheriff | Benton County, IA), phone (319) 472-2337, 111 E 4th Street Vinton, IA 52349, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (319) 472-2337.
The Benton County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 33 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 38 beds, and it ran at 87 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Benton County has about 26,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Benton County Jail
The Benton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Vinton and Belle Plaine make the arrests that end in a booking in Benton County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Benton County Sheriff's Office's 140 for 2025, Vinton's 101 for 2025 and Belle Plaine's 16 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Benton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 257 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 Benton County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Iowa Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.iowa.gov/inmate-family-services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Benton County?
Ask the Benton County Sheriff's Office at (319) 472-2337; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at bentoncountyia.gov/sheriff/civil_division.
How many people are in the Benton County jail?
About 33 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 38 beds.
What is the phone number for the Benton County jail?
(319) 472-2337, the number on the page of the Benton County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Benton 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 Benton County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.