The Black Hawk County Jail is one of two to be named the best large jail in the state, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Chief Jail Inspector Delbert Longle with the Iowa Department of Corrections called the jail, “quiet, well-managed, and well-organized by professional staff.” Warren County was the other jail that won the award in the large class, which includes those with at least 101 beds. Black Hawk County has 272 beds and had an average population of 250 prisoners per day in 2023. Allamakee and Wayne counties won in the medium jail category for those with 31 to 100 beds. Fremont and Ringgold counties won in the small class for those with up to 30 beds.
