The Greene County Jail was recently inspected by the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Inspector Delbert Longley noted that the jail is clean and well managed, but it is also outdated and small for the needs of the public.  Jail Administrator Karen White says the jail is constantly full, but her staff makes do with the space they have.  Another positive comment from Longley is that the jail staff treats all the inmates with respect, which White says is a great compliment to her staff.

“Being a jailer is kind of a unique profession.  You have to deal with all kinds of temperaments and personalities.  As a whole, we have a good group of people and I’m very proud to say that they work here and I work with them.  And I think we do a good job.”

Some of the areas Longley pointed out as needing improvement are moving inmates from secure locations to unsecure areas for exercise and visitations.  Another improvement would be to have all dispatchers certified as jailers.  White notes that it isn’t mandated, but they are looking at the possibility of doing that.  It would require 40-hours of initial training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and another 20-hours of annual training.

In the future, White believes a new jail will be needed to cut down on the maintenance of the current jail and to have more space for inmates.