The O’Brien County Jail is a 58 bed jail in the city of Primghar, O'Brien County, Iowa.
This page provides information on how to search for an inmate in the official jail roster, or by calling the facility at 712-957-5245, 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: 712-957-5245
Physical Address:
240 1st Street N.E.
Primghar, IA 51245
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's first and last name
O’Brien County Jail
P.O. Box 260
Primghar, IA 51245
Other Jails and Prisons
To search for an inmate in the O’Brien 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 712-957-5245 for the information you are looking for. You can also look up an offender's criminal court case and docket schedule online for O'Brien County and any other county in Iowa.
O’Brien County Jail Inmate Search
The O’Brien County Jail maintains an average of 58 offenders in custody on any given day. The O’Brien 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 O'Brien County law enforcement agencies arrest and detain approximately 1,460 offenders.
The following charts of O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail, call the jail’s booking line at 712-957-5245.
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.
O’Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail? What is the Schedule?
O’Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Inmate Visitation Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Video Remote Visitation Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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How Do You Deposit Money for an Inmate in the O’Brien County Jail?
1. Online - Making a deposit using a verified Visa or Mastercard online, or using their Apple or Android App.
2. By phone - Dial 866.345.1884 to reach their 24/7 Access Corrections domestic call centers.
3. Jail Lobby Kiosk - Kiosks accept cash, credit cards, and debit cards.
4. Mail-in Lockbox - Friends or Family who do not have a credit or debit card can mail money orders to their secure lockbox to make deposits to an inmate’s account. Depositors use a customized form that captures all needed information. Upon receipt, they process and post the deposits to the inmate's trust fund in approximately 48 hours.
Money orders may be mailed to inmates at:
Access Corrections
P.O. Box 12486
St. Louis, MO 63132
Money orders must be made out to "Access Secure Deposits".
Include the state, city, inmate name and ID number on all money orders.
5. Walk-in Cash Deposits - Go to any Cash Pay Today location to deposit cash to your inmate's account.
Secure Deposits - Frequently Asked Questions
Secure Deposits - Video Tutorial on How it Works
Secure Deposits - Help Pages
Customer Service Contacts:
Phone: 866-345-1884
Email: [email protected]
Online Chat - Look for 'bubble' on bottom right of the page linked here.
To send commissary money to an inmate in O’Brien County Jail follow these steps:
For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for O’Brien County Jail.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about O’Brien County Jail’s Inmate Money and Trust Fund Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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How Do I Receive Phone Calls from an Inmate in the O’Brien County Jail?
To set up your O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Inmate Phone Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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How do I Mail an Inmate in the O’Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Inmate Mail Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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Can I purchase Commissary Online for an Inmate in the O’Brien County Jail, and what can I purchase?
To send commissary money to an inmate in O’Brien County Jail follow these steps:
For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for O’Brien County Jail.
We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers for everything you need to know about O’Brien County Jail’s Commissary Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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How Can I Communicate with an Inmate in the O’Brien County Jail using an Online Messaging Service?
Known as the 'Reliance Inmate Wallet', it makes funding jail communication easy.
To set up your O'Brien 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 O'Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Text and Email Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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Do Inmates in the O’Brien 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 O’Brien County Jail’s Tablet Policies, Rules and Guidelines. If you still have questions after reviewing these FAQs, call 712-957-5245 for further assistance.
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What are the other City and County Jails in O'Brien County?
This facility, known as "O’Brien County Jail" is also known as O’Brien County Jail, Iowa, O'Brien.
