Jail History
The Jail originally opened in May 1989 with 114 beds, replacing the old 24 bed jail at the courthouse that had been in use since 1939. By 1995 the rising inmate population necessitated the addition of 20 beds to the existing housing unit. This was done by double bunking single bed cells. In January 1998 the East wing of the Jail was opened adding two 48 bed cellblocks, increasing the Jail’s capacity to 230 inmates. On March 01, 2012 the jail closed 48 beds due to a reduction in budget. This decreased the jail’s capacity to 182 inmate beds. In April 2015 the jail reopened 48 beds returning the total capacity to 230 beds.
Jail Population
The Linn County Jail processed 2,925 offenders in 2022. The offenders processed were charged with virtually every conceivable crime, ranging from misdemeanors at one end of the scale to aggravated murder at the other. In calendar year 2020 the average daily inmate population was 156.