News

Less Inmates Incarcerated in Iowa Posted 5 July 2008 Corrections officials in Iowa announced earlier this week that the state's prisons ended fiscal 2008 with fewer inmates.   The reduction in population, an unusual occurrence, was directly affected by a drop in the number of court-ordered prison terms and fewer offenders returning for parole or probation violations in the state. This week's official head count at state penal institutions stood at 8,740, which was 66 less than one year ago. It marks only the third annual decline in 12 years. Inmate counts for both men and women fell in fiscal 2008 compared with the previous year. The overall yearly decline would have dropped by more than 200, but corrections officials are temporarily housing about 140 Linn County Jail inmates because of flooding that forced evacuations last month. Officials aren't sure if the smaller numbers indicate that Iowans have been committing fewer major crimes or if it just means more plea bargains that divert offenders from prison or other factors were at play. Iowa prisons hit a record high population of 8,940 last fall for a system with a design capacity of 7,414 beds. The total inmate count is expected to decline slightly again this fiscal year but will begin to work back up as sentencing changes designed to keep certain felons and violate offenders behind bars for longer periods of time start extending incarceration for inmates who otherwise would have been eligible for release. The Legislature earlier this year approved $130 million in bonding for prison construction. The department's construction plans call for upgrading the women's prison at Mitchellville by fiscal 2012 and replacing the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison with a new maximum-security facility by fiscal 2013 or fiscal 2014.

Take Advantage of this Free Service

Your Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Item: (Use as much space as you need)

Please Support this Site by Clicking on Our Sponsor's Ads