The Woodbury County Jail is located in Sioux City, Iowa, which is part of Woodbury County.  The Woodbury County Jail is under the supervision of Woodbury County Sheriff, Dave Drew.  The Major in charge of the jail is Tony Wingert, and the two lieutenants responsible for overseeing the jail are Todd Harlow and Charles Hertz.

The Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center and Jail were built in 1987.  Since it was constructed, the main jail has undergone a number of renovations designed to help it keep up with an increasing inmate population.  Currently, the main jail has space to hold 234 inmates.  It holds both adult male and female inmates.

The Woodbury County Jail is a mixed-use facility.  It holds pre-trial detainees, sentenced detainees, and federal prisoners as part of an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Services.  As a mixed-use facility, the Woodbury County Jail has to meet several challenges, which are commonly found at jail facilities around the United States.  First, it has to be capable of providing a range of security levels for a range of inmates.  The goal is to provide the least restrictive environments for pre-trial detainees, who have not been convicted of a crime, and, therefore, should not be punished by their incarceration, while still providing adequate supervision, not only to ensure that detainees remain in custody, but also provide for the safety of the detainee, other inmates, and the jail staff.

At the Woodbury County Jail, one secret to successfully running a mixed-use type local jail facility is the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office RISC Team.  The RISC team is a jail-based team that is trained to handle a variety of different situations that might occur within the jail facility. This 16-member team is led by Team Leader Randy Uhl.  During each shift at the jail, there are four members of the RISC team on duty and another four members on call.

One of the secrets to running a successful jail unit that includes pre-trial detainees is to make educated guesses about an inmate during the intake process.  The RISC team helps handle inmate classifications.  At intake, the jail looks at the crime of which the inmate is accused, the inmate’s criminal history, the inmate’s drug or alcohol usage, the inmate’s gang affiliation, and any other factor that the jail determines could be relevant in helping determine an inmate’s potential dangerousness.  Based on those factors, the jail attempts to place the inmate in the appropriate unit.  Because this determination is made at intake, when the jail has limited information about an inmate, it is subject to review and change during the course of incarceration.

To make decisions about inmate classifications, the RISC team attempts to place inmates in the correct unit, not simply based on classification level, but also looking at inmate needs.  This includes the inmate’s education, vocation, and psychological needs.  The main goal is to separate non-violent inmates from inmates who are believed to be more dangerous.  This not only reduces the risk of violence between inmates, but also reduces the potential risk to guards and other jail personnel.

While RISC team members are trained in jail tactics like safe extractions, they are also specifically trained to deal with mental illnesses.  As social services for the mentally ill have declined, jails have seen an increasing percentage of their population suffering from mental illnesses.  These inmates may require specialized care and attention, which the RISC team is trained to provide.

Woodbury County Jail Addresses

Physical Address

The Woodbury County Jail is located at the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center in Sioux City, Iowa.  The address is:

Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center and Jail
407 7^th Street
Sioux City, IA 51101

Mailing Address

The Woodbury County Jail mailing address for non-inmate mail is:

Woodbury County Jail
P.O. Box 3083
Sioux City, IA 51102

Inmate Mailing Address

Inmates can receive letters, but not packages, via the U.S. Postal Service, at the following address:

Inmate's Name
Woodbury County Jail
P.O. Box 3083
Sioux City, IA 51102

Woodbury County does not provide a list of restrictions on inmate mail, other than stating that inmates cannot receive packages and that the return address must contain the sender’s complete first and last name and mailing address.  If you have questions about any other inmate mail rules, you should contact the facility prior to sending the mail.

However, there are general rules that usually apply to inmate mail.  Following those rules makes it less likely that your mail will be returned or delayed.  Those rules include:

1. Do not send plastic, metal, or wood objects in the mail, even if they are part of a card.
2. Do not send foreign substances, such as lipstick, perfume, or bodily fluid, in or on the mail.
3. Do not send obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit images or text in the mail.
4. Do not send gang-related material in the mail.
5. Do not send incendiary material, such as racist material in the mail.
6. Do not send anything that could be part of an escape plan in the mail.
7. Do not send any contraband.  Contraband items vary from jail to jail, but generally include: alcohol, weapons, illegal drugs, and prescription drugs.

Phone Numbers

The main contact number for the Woodbury County Jail is 712-279-6040.  You can reach jail administration at that number; regular administrative hours are Monday through Friday, 8am through 3:30pm.  You may also contact the officials in charge of jail administration via email.  You can contact Major Tony Wingert at [email protected]; you can contact Lt. Todd Harlow at [email protected]; and you can contact Lt. Charles Hertz at [email protected].

Inmate Search

Woodbury County Jail provides an online Inmate Search/Jail Search tool.   You may see the entire roster, which is presented alphabetically, or you can search for inmates using one of the following search fields: name, date booked, date range, or charge.  The short records include the following information for each inmate: a mugshot/booking photo, the inmate’s full name, the date booked, the time booked, the charges against the inmate, and bond information, if available.  If you select an inmate, you get a more in-depth record, which includes the above information as well as: the inmate’s age, the inmate’s race, the inmate’s gender, the inmate’s height, the inmate’s weight, a general physical description including hair and eye color, the inmate’s place of birth, and any court information.

Inmate Bookings/ Recent Arrests

Woodbury County Jail does not maintain a specific booking log listing arrests by booking date.  However, Woodbury County Jail does provide an online Inmate Search/Jail Search tool.   While the roster is presented alphabetically, it does have search functions that allow you search for a booking date or a range of booking dates. Using this search function, you can utilize the inmate search tool in the same way that you would utilize a booking list.  The only differences between it and a traditional booking list are that you have to provide the dates and the results are returned in alphabetical order, rather than being listed according to booking date and time. 

Mugshots

Woodbury County Jail does not maintain a dedicated mugshot database.  However, its Inmate Search/Jail Search function provides access to inmate booking photos as well as other information about inmates currently detained in the Woodbury County Jail facility.  To find a current inmate’s booking photo, you can simply look for that inmate on the jail search website.

Jail Visitation

The Woodbury County Jail offers a video visitation system.  There is no in-person visitation, though you can come to the jail facility in order to complete visitation with inmates. 

The video visitation schedule is Monday through Friday:

10AM to 11AM, check in from 9:45AM to 10:25AM;
12:00PM to 3:15PM, check in from 11:30Am to 2:40PM; and
Wednesday from 5:45PM to 7:45 PM, check in from 5:30PM to 7:10PM.
There is no jail visitation during the holidays.

All visitors must check-in with Jail Administration during the listed check-in times, or may be denied the right to visit.  The video visitation kiosks are located in the second floor of the Law Enforcement Center, near the ATM for inmate trust account deposits.

You will not be permitted to visit an inmate if you have recently been arrested.  If you were arrested for a simple misdemeanor, your no-visitation period is one-day following your arrest.  If you were arrested for a serious or aggravated misdemeanor, your no-visitation period is 90 days following your arrest.  If you were arrested for a felony, your no-visitation period is one-year following your arrest.

The Woodbury County Jail does not list visitation rules, but the following rules generally apply to inmate visitations, even video visitations, in local jail facilities:

• All visitors must show appropriate photo identification in order to visit;
• No unaccompanied minors may visit inmates;
• Duration of visits may be limited;
• Number of visits per week may be limited;
• Number of visitors per visit may be limited;
• No bringing contraband into the jail facility;
• No bringing items for the inmate at visitation;
• Adhere to a modest dress code;
• No visiting inmates while intoxicated; and
• All social visits are monitored and may be recorded.

Inmate Phone Privileges

Woodbury County Jail inmates cannot receive incoming calls, but can place outgoing collect calls during approved hours.  All inmate phone calls, except those placed to lawyers, may be monitored and recorded.

All calls made by inmates are routed through NCIC.  These calls are collect calls.  You can contact NCIC at 1-800-943-2189 to set up an account to accept inmate calls.  You can also visit them online at www.ncic.com. 

According to NCIC, they use an Inmate Call Engine platform to offer call features for inmates.  It is a VoIP based platform, and has sufficient capacity to allow calls, even during peak times.  In the event of carrier issues, NCIC offers rollover so that inmates are ensured times.

Inmate phone calls are subject to a variety of different types of monitoring.  For example, any changes to the data in a phone call, either directly or through the user interface, are recorded in the long along with the IP address and username of the person making the change, so that the facility can be certain of all calls.  Therefore, it is imperative that inmates follow basic rules in their phone calls, such as no call forwarding or third-party phone calls. 

If you need to contact an inmate in an emergency, you can contact the jail’s main administration number, 712-279-6040.  The staff on duty will have the discretion whether or not to instruct an inmate to contact you because of an emergency.  You may be required to provide proof of that emergency. 

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary

Woodbury County Jail no longer accepts any personal property for inmates at the jail facility.  Instead, an inmate in need of personal property items must purchase it through the Inmate Commissary Account System, which is also known as canteen. 

The only exception to the inmate property rules applies to books.  The Woodbury County Jail will accept Bibles for inmates on Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 3:15pm.  On Wednesdays, the jail will accept books for inmates.  All books, including Bibles, must be soft-covered books.  Any books other than Bibles must also be new and include a receipt.  Inmates can receive up to two books on Wednesdays.  Anyone delivering a book to the jail must bring photo identification.  Books can be dropped off at the Jail Administration window. 

The jail no longer accepts money directly at the Jail Administration window.  Instead, money can be deposited in the ATM that is located on the second floor balcony in the Law Enforcement Center, which is next to the video visitation kiosks.  You can deposit money Monday-Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. 

You can also make online deposits by visiting www.jailatm.com.  

Bail Information

The inmate search tool for the Woodbury County Jail provides information about whether an inmate has a bond set and upcoming court dates, when an inmate may receive a bond amount.  You can check that website for information about whether a bond has been set and the amount of any bonds that have been set, if applicable.  However, prior to paying bail, you should contact the jail to verify both the bond amount and conditions of release.  This is particularly important if the release is conditional, because the website does not provide details about any non-monetary conditions of release.  You can contact the jail’s main administrative phone number, 712-279-6040, to find out information about bond amount and conditions.   

You may post a cash bond or use the services of a bondsman to post bond.  A cash bond means that the person paying the bond pays the full amount of the bond to the court or jail, and that the bond is refundable at the conclusion of a trial.  To find a bondsman, you can look in the local yellow pages. 

To post a cash bond, you can go to the Woodbury County Clerk of Courts on Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. The Clerk of Court is available at the Woodbury County Courthouse, which is located at 620 Douglas St., Sioux City, Iowa.  The phone number is 712-279-6611.  After hours, you can post bond at the jail. 

Conclusion

The Woodbury County Jail is a jail facility located in Sioux City, Iowa.  The Woodbury County Jail is under the auspices of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, and provides jail services for Woodbury County and the communities within the county.  Although it is a local jail facility, it has a 234 bed capacity and works with the U.S. Marshalls to provide housing for federal prisoners as well as state and local prisoners.  The jail is a mixed use facility, which uses a specialized team, known as the RISC unit, to provide the correct classification of prisoners and specialized security for the inmate population.  This team strives to provide the specialized care and attention that inmates, especially those who are considered high-risk, need in a jail environment, which helps ensure the safety of inmates and guards. 

The Woodbury County Jail is part of the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center in Sioux City, Iowa and is located at 407 7^th Street.  You can contact the jail at its main phone number, which is 712-279-6040.   You can contact Major Tony Wingert, the officer in charge of the jail at  [email protected].