The Howard County Jail is a 10 bed jail in the city of Cresco, Howard County, Iowa.
This page provides information on how to search for an inmate in the official jail roster, or by calling the facility at 563-547-3535, directions to the facility, and inmate services such as the visitation schedule and policies, funding an inmate's account, mailing them a letter, receiving phone calls from an inmate, voicemail, emailing and texting, tablet rentals, bail bond instructions, and commissary purchases.
Phone: 563-547-3535
Physical Address:
124 S. Park Place
Cresco, IA 52136
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's first and last name
Howard County Jail
124 S. Park Place
Cresco, IA 52136
Other Jails and Prisons
To search for an inmate in the Howard County Jail, review their criminal charges, the amount of their bond, when they can get visits, or even view their mugshot, go to the Official Jail Inmate Roster, or call the jail at 563-547-3535 for the information you are looking for. You can also look up an offender's criminal court case and docket schedule online for Howard County and any other county in Iowa.
Howard County Jail Inmate Search
The Howard County Jail maintains an average of 10 offenders in custody on any given day. The Howard County Jail has a monthly turnover of 40% of their inmate population, another 30% turnover every 90 days, another 20% every six months, and approximately 10% stay incarcerated between six and twelve months. Every year Howard County law enforcement agencies arrest and detain approximately 680 offenders.
The following charts of Howard County inmate population demographics are updated daily. The information shown is for today. For research purposes we have broken down the inmates by sex, age, ethnicity, and criminal charges.
The information is compiled from the Howard County Corrections Department, the state of Iowa Department of Corrections, as well as the United States Department of Justice and Census Bureau records. It represents every person in custody in Howard County.
For complete information on how to get directions, bond, visit, mail, send and receive email and texts, receive phone calls, and send money or commissary to an inmate, find arrest information for Howard County and other counties surrounding this one, scroll down this page. We have a section for each.
We also provide photos of the jail that we have collected over the years.
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To find out if someone you know has been recently arrested and booked into the Howard County Jail, call the jail’s booking line at 563-547-3535.
There may be an automated method of looking them up by their name over the phone, or you may be directed to speak to someone at the jail. Sometimes the jail staff may ask you the offender’s date of birth to ensure privacy of the offender’s status.
Keep in mind that after an arrest, the information on an offender may not be publicly available for several hours.
If you don’t want to check up on an offender by calling the jail, you can also try looking up people recently booked online.
Howard County Jail Booking Roster
After being arrested and taken into custody, and after being read their Miranda Rights, an offender will next be transported to the local police or department or the Sheriff’s Department in Howard County for booking.
Booking is very involved and requires multiple steps in the process, however, keep in mind that most attorneys will advise that an offender remain silent and not offer any additional information about the crime they have been arrested for because anything they do say may be recorded and may very well be used against them in court.
Booking includes having their photo (mugshot) and fingerprints taken, as well as being asked a lot of questions about their personal history and state of mind. If it’s a serious felony, their DNA may also be taken. They will also be checked for warrants in Howard County and other Iowa and USA jurisdictions.
If the offender was arrested for a DUI offense, and has refused a breathalyzer test, they may also be forced to have blood drawn by a doctor or nurse.
It is also very likely that the offender will undergo a humiliating full body search while in the nude. This includes bending over, spreading their cheeks in the direction of an officer, and coughing. They will also be walked through a metal detector or x-ray machine, like those used at an airport.
The arresting jurisdiction will ask about gang affiliations, tattoos, medical conditions, prescribed medication they are taking, recreational drugs they are on or addicted to, allergies, if they are suicidal, and other relevant information that will help with determining their cell assignment and special needs.
During the arrest and booking process an offender will also have all their personal property confiscated and held for either their release from jail, or with the offender’s approval, released to a friend or family member.
Personal property includes the clothing they are wearing, money, wallets, purses, cell phones, jewelry, body rings, earrings, watches, and even glasses if they are deemed a security risk. If they are allowed to keep their shoes or sneakers, the laces are removed.
At this point the offender will be allowed to make a free phone call to a person of their choice to notify them of their arrest, and/or arrange a bond or bail for their release.
If the offender is being detained and housed while awaiting arraignment, the Howard County Jail will provide a jail garment and slip-on shoes, a blanket, sheets, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel.
Often, before they are dressed in the jail outfit and brought to their housing location, they will be forced to take a shower and undergo a disinfectant treatment for body and hair lice, scabies or other pests that may be residing on their person.
Booking can take anywhere from an hour to 24 hours or more. It all depends on the number of people that are awaiting processing, the number of staff on duty at the time, and the behavior of the offender.
If the offender is heavily intoxicated and/or violent, the Booking Officer may decide to stick the offender in a holding cell for several hours until they become more manageable.
How Do You Visit an Inmate in the Howard County Jail? What is the Schedule?
Howard County Jail uses the services of Reliance Telephone for video (visit) phone calls and for emailing/texting to inmates.
Note: This option may not be available for your inmate. When registering, check to see if devices are available.
Known as the 'Reliance Inmate Wallet', it makes funding jail communication easy. Payments made into an 'Inmate Wallet' account are linked to a dedicated telephone number for inmates who rent one of their Reliance Tablet Phones. Inmate Wallet funds can be used for personal inmate text messaging, voice calls and video calls. The cost of this is $4.00 per month for rental of the Reliance Tablet Phone + $0.25 per minute for video and voice calls.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Inmate Visitation Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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Can I Use My Computer or Phone to Have a Remote Video Visit with an Inmate in the Howard County Jail?
Note: This option may not be available for your inmate. When registering, check to see if devices are available.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Video Remote Visitation Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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How Do You Deposit Money for an Inmate in the Howard County Jail?
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Inmate Money and Trust Fund Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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How Do I Receive Phone Calls from an Inmate in the Howard County Jail?
To set up your Howard County inmate to make to make phone calls to you and others, follow these instructions:
For all the information you need in order to receive phone calls from your Howard County inmate, or to assist them in making calls to others, including instructions, fees, cost of calls, payment methods and times that your inmate can use the phone, check out our Inmate Phone Page.
NOTE: All of your communication with your inmate will be monitored and recorded. Use discretion when discussing sensitive information about their pending case.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Inmate Phone Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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How do I Mail an Inmate in the Howard County Jail, and what can I send them?
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Inmate Mail Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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Can I purchase Commissary Online for an Inmate in the Howard County Jail, and what can I purchase?
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Commissary Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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How Can I Communicate with an Inmate in the Howard County Jail using an Online Messaging Service?
Known as the 'Reliance Inmate Wallet', it makes funding jail communication easy.
To set up your Howard County inmate to make to send and receive texts and emails to you and others, follow these instructions:
For all the information you need in order to send and receive texts and emails from your Howard County inmate, or to assist them in sending and receiving secure messages to and from others, including instructions, fees, cost of each message, tablet rentals, payment methods and times that your inmate can send messages, check out our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
NOTE: All of your communication with your inmate will be monitored and recorded. Use discretion when communicating sensitive information about their pending case.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Text and Email Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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Do Inmates in the Howard County Jail have Access to Tablets or Computers?
Note: This option may not be available for your inmate. When registering, check to see if tablets are available.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about Howard County Jail’s Tablet Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 563-547-3535 for further assistance.
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What are the other City and County Jails in Howard County?
What are the other Jails in the Neighboring Counties surrounding Howard County?
This facility, known as "Howard County Jail" is also known as Howard County Jail , Howard County Jail , Iowa, Howard.
