Iowa Criminal Records

Go To the Department of Public Safety Website to Start your Records Search
If you want to conduct a criminal records search in the state of Iowa, then you'll need to go through the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), which is managed by the state's Department of Public Safety (DPS). At the DPS website, you can quickly access criminal histories using the site's online search feature.

This search feature is provided by a link that leads to the Iowa Criminal History Record Check website.  Criminal records in the database supply details on all past arrests and their dispositions.

Accessing Information
Once at the Criminal History Record Check site, anyone in the general public can access a criminal history by paying a fee of $15.00. However, the site will not supply any criminal records data on arrests that were made over 18 months ago that do not include a deferred judgment or disposition. Other than the foregoing exception, all other information is made available. Sex offender registry information is provided at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) website.

Requesting Criminal History Records in Person
Besides going online, you can also pay a visit to the Division of Criminal Investigation office during their regular business hours, or 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Make sure you bring a government-issued I.D. with you (or passport or driver's license) in order to make the records request.

Immediate details can only be provided if you are requesting a criminal history for yourself. Otherwise, you'll have to leave the information with the agency in order to be processed.

DCI Contact and Address Information
No criminal history requests can be submitted by email or by contacting the DCI by phone. However, further information can be obtained by contacting the agency at (515) 725-6066. If you choose to pay a visit to the DCI in person, they are located at 215 East 7th Street in Des Moines Iowa.

What is Included in the Criminal Records Database
Criminal records in Iowa contain arrests resulting in convictions for misdemeanor crimes and felonies as long as the arrests are tied into arrestees' fingerprints, or a fingerprint card is on file for the offender. Again, any arrest information without a disposition that is over 18 months old is not considered viewable by the public.

The Mission of the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC)
The Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC) administers the programs for incarcerated offenders, parolees, and offenders that are on probation, including those prisoners who are electronically monitored or are on work release. The IDOC has made it its goal to offer programs that assist in improving offenders' lives, providing classes in substance abuse as well as vocational skills.

Looking up an Inmate's Record
If you want to access inmate information, then the data can be retrieved at the IDOC website. The search system on the site permits you to find inmate details by entering the offender's name, gender, and/or birth date. You can also obtain information by entering his or her inmate I.D.

Inmate Record Details
Inmate records can include such information as the correctional facility where the subject his living, the type of offense that was committed, status of the prisoner, and projected completion and release date.