Fort Dodge Correctional Facility Offender Search

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility Overview

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, often shortened to FDCF, is operated by the Iowa Department of Corrections at 1550 L St. in Fort Dodge. The DOC lists the facility in Webster County, gives the phone number as (515) 574-4700, and identifies the security level as medium. The warden listed in the research is Don Harris. This is not the Webster County Jail and is not the right first call for a person who was just arrested in Fort Dodge or elsewhere in Webster County.

The DOC facility page states that Fort Dodge Correctional Facility was built in October 1996, opened in April 1998, sits on 60 acres, and has capacity for 1,392 adult male inmates. Its population is the sentenced state-prison population. People generally reach Iowa DOC custody after conviction, sentencing, and state intake or classification. A Webster County criminal case can result in placement at FDCF, but FDCF also houses people committed from other Iowa counties.

The matched facility screenshot comes from the official Iowa DOC page for Fort Dodge Correctional Facility and shows the prison address, security level, capacity, visitation, and program information. Source: Iowa Department of Corrections FDCF page.

Because this page is DOC-published prison information, it supports state-prison instructions such as DOC offender search, Ameelio visitation reservations, Access Corrections deposits, and prison programming. Those details should not be copied onto the Webster County Jail page unless the jail publishes matching local rules.

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility Capacity and Population

The supported capacity figure for Fort Dodge Correctional Facility is 1,392 adult male, sourced to the Iowa DOC facility page accessed during the research pass. The security level is medium. The facility is a state prison, so this number should be read as DOC prison capacity, not Webster County jail capacity and not a measure of local pretrial population.

That distinction is central in Webster County. The county has a small sheriff-operated jail at 702 1st Ave South and a much larger DOC prison at 1550 L St. A person currently at FDCF may have no current Webster County court case at all. Conversely, a Webster County conviction may result in DOC placement somewhere other than Fort Dodge. Use current location and county of commitment carefully when reading DOC search results.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

The correct lookup system is Iowa DOC Offender Search. It covers sentenced Iowa state prisoners and certain supervision records. It does not replace the Webster County Jail phone line for a same-day arrest, and it does not function as a county booking roster. DOC warns that offender records are public under Iowa Code section 904.601(1), but the data is not warranted, updates weekly, and can change quickly.

1. Open Iowa DOC Offender Search at doc-search.iowa.gov.
2. Search by last name, first name, middle name, offender number, sex, offense, county of commitment, or location.
3. Use Location = Fort Dodge Correctional Facility if the goal is to narrow results to people currently listed at FDCF.
4. Check county of commitment separately; Webster as a commitment county does not necessarily mean the person is housed in Webster County.

The DOC search form itself is a matched manifest image for this facility page because it is the official locator used for sentenced state prisoners. Source: Iowa DOC Offender Search.

Use the result as a state corrections record. For filed criminal cases, use Iowa Courts Online. For current local jail custody before sentencing, use Webster County Jail. For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP or ICE locator instead of the Iowa DOC tool.

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility Address and Contact

Contact the prison for facility-specific questions that DOC rules direct to the institution, such as visit logistics, approved visiting status, and prison-specific directions. Do not call FDCF to confirm a person who may have just been arrested locally unless the person is already a sentenced DOC prisoner or the DOC locator points to Fort Dodge Correctional Facility.

Visiting Someone at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility has published DOC visitation hours. The DOC page states that reservations are in the Ameelio app only. Visitors should expect prison security screening. The research notes that visitors are subject to pat down, metal detectors, electronic ion scanners, other electronic devices, or visual searches, and refusal means entrance is denied. Confirm approval status and the reservation before traveling.

General Iowa DOC visit instructions also matter. Visitors should follow DOC approval, scheduling, identification, dress, property, search, and contraband rules. The county jail's lack of a published schedule does not affect FDCF; this prison has its own DOC hours and Ameelio-only reservation note.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

Money deposits for Iowa DOC offenders use Access Corrections. The DOC money page says online and phone deposit services are available 24/7 through Access Corrections at www.accesscorrections.com or 1-866-345-1884. The research notes that funds typically transfer in real time and are available within 24 hours, with a digital receipt. These are DOC offender deposit instructions, not Webster County Jail commissary instructions.

The Access Corrections page is a matched manifest image for the DOC money workflow. Source: Iowa DOC money-deposit instructions.

Before sending funds, confirm the offender's DOC identity and current status through Iowa DOC Offender Search. Using the wrong system can delay or misdirect a deposit, especially when a person has moved from county jail custody into state corrections.

Admission and Classification at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility does not perform county street-arrest booking for Webster County. A person arrested locally generally starts with the sheriff-operated jail if custody is required. If the person is later sentenced to state prison, the case moves into Iowa DOC custody through state admission, intake, and classification processes. That is the point where the Iowa DOC locator and DOC facility rules become more useful than the county jail phone line.

DOC search fields show why this pathway matters. A prison result can include location, offense, county of commitment, and status, but it is not designed to show county jail bond, same-day booking status, or local release paperwork. If a person was just arrested and has not been sentenced, use Webster County Jail, IowaVINE, and Iowa Courts Online first. If DOC lists Fort Dodge Correctional Facility as the location, use FDCF rules for visits, mail, money, and prison contact.

Programs at Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

The DOC-published FDCF program list is extensive. Apprenticeship and vocational offerings include carpentry, computer operation, cooking, electrical, housekeeping, landscaping, National Career Readiness Certificate, painting, plumbing, sewing machine repair, and welding. These are state-prison programs, not county jail services.

Iowa Central Community College programming listed in the research includes ESL, HiSET, life skills, literacy, special education, welding, culinary, baking, building trades, supply-chain classes, an online AA degree, and a welding technology diploma certificate. Iowa Prison Industries also runs a textile program. These programs help explain why a prison page needs a different structure from a jail page: the prison manages long-term sentenced custody and institutional programming, while Webster County Jail focuses on local custody, court movement, and short-term detention.

About Fort Dodge Correctional Facility

Fort Dodge Correctional Facility is one reason Webster County inmate searches can become confusing. The facility is physically in Fort Dodge, but it is not controlled by the Webster County Sheriff's Office. It is part of the Iowa Department of Corrections. A state prisoner at FDCF may have been committed from another county, and a Webster County defendant may be housed at a different DOC prison after sentencing.

The practical rule is to match the search system to the custody type. Use Webster County Jail for current local jail custody and jail records. Use Iowa Courts Online for filed court cases. Use Iowa DOC Offender Search for sentenced state prisoners and supervision records. Use BOP or ICE only when federal or immigration custody is involved. That separation prevents the most common error: treating the county jail and the state prison as one searchable facility.