Cass County Inmate Population Overview
The Cass County inmate population is centered on the Cass County Jail, the sheriff-operated local jail in Atlantic. Official county research did not locate a separate county annex, city jail, work-release center, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention facility inside Cass County. That means local arrest custody is routed through the Cass County Jail, while sentenced prison custody is tracked later through the Iowa Department of Corrections Offender Search. Federal and immigration custody use separate federal locators.
For local jail counts, Cass County publishes a dated PDF roster rather than a live population dashboard. The roster is titled "Inmate Roster - Booked and Released" and gives a date range, row-level booking details, and period totals. Those totals are useful, but they are snapshots. A person arrested after the roster was posted may not appear until a new file is uploaded, and a person who moved to state prison after sentencing will not remain a county-jail lookup problem.
Cass County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest Cass County population facts come from the sheriff's jail history and the public roster PDFs. The sheriff's history states that the current ground-level jail was built in April 1984 with 16 beds. The roster printed on June 12, 2026 listed a beginning population of 5, one booking during the period, no releases during the period, and an ending population of 6. An older roster printed April 14, 2025 listed a beginning population of 8, seven bookings, eight releases, and an ending population of 9.
Cass County did not publish an official average daily population, annual booking total, annual length-of-stay table, or demographic breakdown in the official materials reviewed. The roster shows age, name, cell value, ID number, charges, and the period totals. It does not show sex, race, bond, court case number, or legal status category. Those limits matter because a roster snapshot is not the same as a full jail-statistics report.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Cass County Jail capacity | 16 beds | Cass County Sheriff's Office jail history |
| Current roster beginning population | 5 | Cass County roster PDF, 06/11/2026 through 06/12/2026 |
| Current roster ending population | 6 | Cass County roster PDF printed 06/12/2026 |
| Current roster bookings and releases | 1 booking, 0 releases | Cass County roster PDF, 06/11/2026 through 06/12/2026 |
| Sample 2025 ending population | 9 | Cass County roster PDF, 04/11/2025 through 04/14/2025 |
| County detention facilities found | 1 | Research facility map |
Cass County Jail Population Trends
Cass County's public trend line is short because the county source set provides dated roster samples rather than a yearly statistical series. The available figures still show the scale of the local jail. The modern Cass County Jail has fewer beds than the two earlier county jail eras described in the sheriff's history. The Lewis jail held 22 people, the later third-floor courthouse jail held 21 inmates, and the current jail has 16 beds.
Recent roster samples also point to a small daily count. The 2025 roster sample ended at 9 people. The 2026 roster sample ended at 6. Those are not averages, and they do not prove a sustained rise or fall. They do help readers avoid a common mistake: statewide prison overcrowding data from the Iowa DOC should not be treated as Cass County Jail overcrowding.
| Date / Period | Population Measure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1850s Lewis jail | 22-person capacity | Historical jail near the Lewis courthouse |
| 1934 to 1984 courthouse jail | 21-inmate capacity | Third-floor jail with sheriff living quarters |
| April 1984 to current jail | 16-bed capacity | Ground-level jail on the west side of the courthouse |
| 04/11/2025 to 04/14/2025 | Beginning 8, ending 9 | Roster showed 7 bookings and 8 releases |
| 06/11/2026 to 06/12/2026 | Beginning 5, ending 6 | Roster showed 1 booking and 0 releases |
Cass County Inmate Population Makeup
The Cass County inmate population visible on the jail roster is a mix of people booked on new arrests, people held on warrants or supervision matters, people serving short local custody, and people booked and released during the roster period. Research examples include OWI, disorderly conduct, interference with official acts, probation violation, parole violation, domestic no-contact order violation, mittimus entries, and hold-for-other-agency entries. A mittimus is a court order that commits a person to custody after judgment or sentence.
The roster does not publish a full demographic table. It shows age, but it does not show sex, race, ethnicity, height, weight, or date of birth. The "Cell" column shows values such as A, B, C, HOLD, and REC, but the PDF does not define those codes. They should be read as public roster labels, not as confirmed housing units or official legal statuses.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, when the person is entered into jail records.
- Hold
- A custody restriction tied to another agency, warrant, probation, parole, or other legal process.
- DOC
- The Iowa Department of Corrections, which tracks sentenced state-prison and supervision records.
- VINE
- A custody and case notification system linked by the sheriff for Iowa users.
Laws for Cass County Jail Data
Iowa law explains why Cass County jail and arrest information is available, while also explaining why some details may be withheld. Iowa Code chapter 22 is the general public-records law. Iowa Code section 22.7 lists confidential records but treats current and prior arrests and criminal-history data as public records. Iowa Code chapter 356 governs county jails and municipal holding facilities.
Iowa Code section 356.49 requires county sheriffs to file monthly written jail reports with the Iowa DOC director, including men, women, and juveniles held in jail on a uniform form. The public Cass County monthly reports were not located in the official source set, so the roster PDFs remain the practical public source for current local population snapshots.
Population record rule: Cass County roster entries are public-facing arrest and custody data, but Iowa law still allows redaction or withholding for confidential material, juvenile matters, active investigations, medical information, and jail security concerns.
Cass County and Iowa DOC Population
Sentenced prison custody from Cass County is not counted as a Cass County Jail inmate population once the person is transferred into the Iowa DOC system. The DOC facilities list shows nine prisons statewide and none in Cass County. A person sentenced to prison may pass through Iowa Medical and Classification Center for male intake or Iowa Correctional Institution for Women for female intake before permanent placement.
The Iowa DOC Daily Statistics page gives statewide context. On June 12, 2026, it listed an institutional current count of 8,937, capacity of 6,990, 1,013 people in medical or segregation counts, and 27.85% overcrowding. Those are prison-system numbers. They should not be attributed to the Cass County Jail, but they help explain why a Cass County case may leave the local roster and appear later in a statewide prison locator.
The Iowa DOC Daily Statistics source shows the state prison population separately from local Cass County jail counts.
Use that state page for prison-level context only; use the Cass County roster and jail phone line for local jail custody.
Search the Cass County Inmate Population
The official Cass County inmate search starts on the Cass County Sheriff's Office page. The sheriff links to a current inmate roster PDF with date-specific link text. The inspected current file was a roster for June 11, 2026 through June 12, 2026. Because the URL changes when a new PDF is posted, the sheriff page is the stable starting point.
The roster has no online search box, no name filter, no advanced search tab, no profile button, and no mugshot thumbnail. Open or download the PDF and use the browser or PDF viewer's find command if searching by name. If the roster seems stale or the arrest just happened, call the Cass County Jail because the jail line is the most direct custody-status fallback.
- Open the Cass County Sheriff's Office page and find the jail or current inmate roster link.
- Open the dated PDF and read the roster date range before relying on the result.
- Search the PDF by last name or scan the name column manually.
- Read the Date Booked In, Date Released, Cell, ID Number, Age, and charge lines.
- If the person is missing, call the jail for current custody or check Iowa DOC, BOP, ICE, VINE, and court records as needed.
Cass County Roster Fields
Cass County's roster is a report, not a database form. The correct search-field table therefore describes the PDF fields and the practical way to search them. The ID Number field is not labeled as a booking number, and the Cell values are not defined by the county PDF. Charge labels may be short or truncated, so formal charge status belongs in court records rather than the jail roster.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Booked In | PDF column | n/a | Date and time of jail entry. |
| Date Released | PDF column | n/a | Blank if not released during the roster period. |
| Cell | PDF column | n/a | Observed values include A, B, C, HOLD, and REC, with no official definition in the PDF. |
| Inmate Name | PDF column | n/a | Uppercase name, usually last name first. |
| ID Number | PDF column | n/a | Eight-digit local jail identifier. |
| Age | PDF column | n/a | Numeric age. |
| Charges | Numbered text lines | n/a | Short labels below each entry, not final court disposition. |
| Population totals | Summary | n/a | Bookings, releases, beginning population, and ending population for the period. |
Past Cass County Inmate Records
Released people may appear in a dated "Booked and Released" PDF if they were booked or released during the report period. The 2025 sample roster was two pages and covered four days, while the 2026 sample was one page and covered one day. That proves the public file is period-based, not a permanent archive of every Cass County inmate record.
For an older booking, start with Iowa Courts Online if the question is about formal charges or case outcome. For a jail record that is not posted online, contact the sheriff's office during administrative hours and ask how to request the booking record under Iowa Code chapter 22. Be specific with name, approximate booking date, and the record requested.
Cass County Jail vs Prison Lookup
The right search path depends on the custody level. The county roster covers local jail custody and recent booked/released entries. Iowa DOC covers state prison and supervision. The Federal Bureau of Prisons covers sentenced federal inmates from 1982 to present, while ICE uses a separate Online Detainee Locator System. VINE is best for notification rather than a full jail roster replacement.
| Custody Question | Correct Channel | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Current local jail custody | Cass County roster PDF or jail phone | Recent bookings, releases, charges, age, ID number, and population totals |
| Formal court charges | Iowa Courts Online | Case filing, disposition, hearing, and court financial information |
| State prison or supervision | Iowa DOC Offender Search | Offender number, facility, offense, county of commitment, and DOC status |
| Federal sentence | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmate records from 1982 to present |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS | ICE detainee search by A-number or biographical details |
Cass County Detention Facilities
The facility map contains one Cass County detention facility. Atlantic Police Department is a local arresting agency in the county seat, but the official custody channel for jail population is the sheriff-run jail. Iowa DOC facilities, BOP facilities, and ICE facilities are not listed as Cass County detention facilities in the official source set.
- Cass County Jail - the county jail for local arrestees, pretrial detainees, short local sentences, holds, probation or parole violation entries, and booked/released persons.
Cass County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Cass County inmate population?
The sourced local number is a roster snapshot, not an annual average. The roster printed June 12, 2026 showed 6 people as the ending population in the 16-bed Cass County Jail. The April 14, 2025 sample roster showed an ending population of 9.
Does Cass County have a searchable jail database?
No searchable county database was documented in the official materials reviewed. Cass County posts a dated PDF roster. Use the PDF find function or scan the list, then call the jail when immediate status matters.
Are Cass County jail mugshots on the roster?
The official Cass County roster PDFs reviewed did not show booking photos. The roster gives text fields, charges, and population totals. Booking-photo questions belong on the records request path, not on a mugshot gallery.
Where are sentenced prisoners found?
People sentenced to Iowa prison are searched through Iowa DOC Offender Search. That system is separate from the county roster and includes fields such as offender number, location, offense, and county of commitment.