Appanoose County Jail Overview
Appanoose County Jail is operated by the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office and is housed in the Appanoose County-City of Centerville Law Enforcement Center. Official sources describe it as the only detention facility located in Appanoose County. The jail page says the facility is certified to hold male and female inmates and juveniles, and the needs assessment says it is used by both the Appanoose County Sheriff's Office and Centerville Police Department.
The current jail was completed in December 1974 on the west edge of Centerville, just off Iowa Highway 2. Full-time jail staff began in 1986 under Sheriff Gerald Banks, and the official jail page says the jail employs six full-time jailers. The facility holds people awaiting trial, people serving jail sentences after conviction, and local detainees held under lawful authority. It is not an Iowa DOC prison, a BOP facility, or an ICE detention center.
Appanoose County Jail Capacity
The 2015 Appanoose County Jail Needs Assessment reported a 12-bed rated capacity and a 2010 average daily population of 21.41 prisoners. It also said the jail had exceeded capacity for much of the prior decade and sometimes held about twice its maximum capacity. The study recommended a 40-bed law-enforcement center with the ability to expand by 10 more beds. No official current daily jail population page was located.
The same assessment described six inmate cells, a drunk tank or temporary holding area, no isolation or padded safety cell, no jail kitchen, no work-release cells, and limited professional-visit space. It also found that classification limits could require female and overflow inmates to be transferred out of county.
Look Up Appanoose County Jail Custody
No official Appanoose County Jail online roster was located on the county or sheriff site. Current custody should be checked by contacting the jail directly. If the person was arrested by Centerville Police Department, the county jail is still the local detention point identified by the needs assessment unless the person was released, taken to court, transferred, or moved into another custody system.
- Call Appanoose County Jail at (641) 437-7106 with the person's full name and approximate arrest date.
- Ask whether the person is currently in custody, released, transferred, or held for another agency.
- Use Iowa Courts Online for filed charges, case numbers, bond conditions, and hearing dates.
- Use the Iowa DOC Offender Search if the person was sentenced to prison or state supervision.
- Use BOP or ICE tools only when federal or immigration custody is possible.
Custody distinction: Appanoose County Jail handles local jail custody. Iowa DOC, BOP, and ICE each operate separate record systems.
Appanoose County Jail Contact
Use the jail contact for custody, visitation, mail, phone, and commissary questions. Use the sheriff's office contact for broader records-request direction when a booking sheet, jail log entry, incident report, or booking photograph is not posted online. No separate sheriff records-request form was located in the official source set.
Appanoose County Jail
22158 Dewey Rd.
Centerville, IA 52544
(641) 437-7106
Fax: (641) 437-7107
Appanoose County Sheriff's Office
PO Box 474
22158 Dewey Rd.
Centerville, IA 52544
641-437-7100
sheriff@appanoosecountysheriff.org
The official jail page is the local source for facility rules. The screenshot below comes from the Appanoose County Jail page.
The page gives jail contact and rule information, but it does not provide a searchable inmate roster.
Visiting Appanoose County Jail
Appanoose County Jail publishes detailed visitation rules. General visitation is Sunday afternoon. Attorneys and ministers may visit during weekday business hours or at arranged times if security and routine are not unduly interrupted. Visitors must show valid photo identification, sign the visitor log, and follow contraband rules. Contact visitation is not allowed.
| Rule | Appanoose County Jail Detail |
|---|---|
| General visitation | Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Attorney / minister visitation | 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or arranged times if security allows. |
| Visitor approval | Immediate family plus three approved non-family members. |
| Non-family visitors | Must complete the visitor questionnaire and receive jail administrator approval. |
| Minors | Must be a qualifying relative and be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. |
| Prohibited items | Electronic devices, cell phones, tobacco, contraband, weapons, and chemical agents. |
Appanoose Jail Visitor Approval
The visitor questionnaire is one of the most specific Appanoose County Jail records in the source set. The form is linked from the official jail visitation section, and it states that non-family visitor approval is reviewed by the jail administrator. It asks for the proposed visitor's identity, birth date, address, phone number, relationship to the inmate, employment, criminal-history details, other incarcerated contacts, probation or parole status, and certification signature.
The form warns that failure to complete all information accurately, or misrepresenting age, relationship, or criminal-background history, can result in denial of visiting privileges. The cover letter says it is the visitor's responsibility to contact the jail one week after returning the questionnaire to learn the outcome. Questions go to Appanoose County Jail at (641) 437-7106.
Mail, Phone, and Money
Mail to an Appanoose County Jail inmate should use the published jail format. Incoming non-privileged mail is opened and searched for contraband and may be read or copied for security. Only mail received through the U.S. Postal Service is delivered. Inmates may not correspond with other inmates in Appanoose County Jail or other correctional facilities.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail address | Appanoose County Jail, Attn: inmate name, PO Box 474, Centerville, IA 52544 |
| Phone access | Attorney and clergy calls are privileged; non-privileged calls may be monitored or recorded. |
| Phone provider | Reliance Telephone / Friends and Family of Inmates, 1-800-896-3201, www.reliancetelephone.com. |
| Commissary funds | Official jail page says visitors may bring money; confirm accepted methods and fees with the jail. |
No official Appanoose County commissary vendor page, kiosk fee schedule, online deposit page, ordering day, or transaction limit was located on the county site.
Booking at Appanoose County Jail
Booking creates the local custody record. The needs assessment described the booking area as outdated in 2015, with only enough room for one booking station and no holding cells near the sallyport for agitated arrestees. After a person arrives, the jail handles identification, paperwork, property and contraband controls, phone access, classification, and custody authority. Classification is the jail's review for safe housing and separation.
After booking, the court path begins. The county attorney reviews reports and decides what charges to file. Bond conditions, no-contact orders, hearing dates, and dispositions appear in court records, not in a county web roster. A person who is sentenced to state prison should later be checked through Iowa DOC, not Appanoose County Jail.
Jail, DOC, BOP, and ICE Paths
Appanoose County Jail is the local facility, but not every Appanoose-linked custody record remains there. A sentenced state offender can move to the Iowa Department of Corrections. A federal case can move to BOP custody. An immigration matter can move to ICE. VINELink can help with custody or case notifications when the person is covered by Iowa VINE services.
| After Appanoose County Jail | Correct System |
|---|---|
| Filed charges and hearings | Iowa Courts Online or Appanoose Clerk of District Court. |
| State prison, parole, probation, work release | Iowa DOC Offender Search. |
| Federal sentence or hold | BOP Inmate Locator. |
| Immigration custody | ICE Online Detainee Locator. |
About Appanoose County Jail
The current jail's local history connects to both the 1974 law-enforcement center and the older jail property. The official old jail page says the Old County Jail and Sheriff's Quarters are on North Main Street with the Bland Cabin, and that steel cages were installed in 1904 by the Pauley Company of St. Louis. The modern jail's 1974 design predates the codified minimum jail standards discussed in the needs assessment, which helps explain why the 2015 study focused so heavily on space, classification, and facility limits.
The older jail page is local history rather than a current custody source. The screenshot below comes from the official Appanoose old jail page.
For current custody, visitation, or mail, use the modern Appanoose County Jail contact information rather than the old jail history page.
Note: Call Appanoose County Jail before traveling, because custody status, visitor approval, and security rules can change quickly.