Mower County Booking Reports and Jail Records
Mower County Booking Reports are public records produced by the Mower County jail in Austin, Minnesota each time a person is processed into custody. The records show who is held, what charges apply, and other booking details. Minnesota's Data Practices Act makes this information available to anyone who asks. This page explains how to find current and historical Mower County Booking Reports and what other tools are available for broader searches.
Mower County Booking Reports
Mower County Jail and Booking Information
The Mower County Jail is the primary detention facility for the county and the source of all local Mower County Booking Reports. The jail is located in Austin and operates under the oversight of Mower County government. General county information is available at co.mower.mn.us, and the jail page specifically is at co.mower.mn.us/198/County-Jail.
To reach the jail directly, call 507-437-9562. This is the best line for checking whether a specific person is currently in custody. For general county or Sheriff's Office matters, call the main number at 507-437-9400. Inmate messaging uses a separate line at 507-481-3131.
| Address | 201 1st Street NE, Austin, MN 55912 |
|---|---|
| Main Phone | 507-437-9400 |
| Jail Phone | 507-437-9562 |
| Inmate Messages | 507-481-3131 |
| County Website | co.mower.mn.us |
| Jail Page | County Jail Info |
Mower County Jail Programs and Work Release
The Mower County jail offers a range of programs for people in custody. Recreational options include board games, a computer lab (no internet access), creative arts, educational videos, library access, and a gym. These activities are available based on housing classification and inmate status.
Reformative programs go further. Educational classes cover core academic skills. Chemical dependency treatment addresses substance abuse. Anger management and cognitive and behavioral skills programs help people work on the factors that contributed to their arrest. These services are offered to qualifying detainees while they are in custody.
Reintegration programming includes job skills, life skills, and parenting classes. These are designed to help people leave jail ready to find stable work and manage daily responsibilities. Two work programs are also available: Work Release (Huber), which allows low-risk detainees to leave for employment and return each evening, and Sentencing to Service (STS), a community service work program for eligible individuals.
Note: Detainees in the work release program still appear in the booking system. Their classification will reflect work release status. Call the jail at 507-437-9562 if you are trying to confirm a specific person's current housing status.
Understanding Mower County Booking Reports
A Mower County Booking Report records the arrest at intake. Public fields include the person's name, charges, booking date, and the arresting agency. This data is public under Minn. Stat. § 13.82. The booking report reflects conditions at the time of arrest and does not update as the case proceeds.
What happens in court is a separate record. Charges can be dropped, reduced, or result in acquittal. The jail booking database will not reflect those outcomes. To track a case through the courts, search Minnesota Court Records Online using the subject's name or case number. Mower County cases go through the Third Judicial District. That court's records are free to search.
Private fields in a booking record, including medical information and mental health notes, are protected and will not be released. If any part of a request is denied, the agency must cite the statute that applies. Minn. Stat. § 13.87 also governs how criminal history data is maintained and shared by criminal justice agencies in Minnesota.
Statewide Records and DOC Offender Locator
Mower County booking records cover only local arrests. For searches that span multiple counties or involve state prison sentences, Minnesota's statewide tools are the right starting point.
The BCA Criminal History Search pulls data from law enforcement agencies across all 87 Minnesota counties. It is the most complete resource for a person's full record in the state. One search can return Mower County arrests alongside records from other jurisdictions.
If a Mower County case resulted in a state prison sentence, the person will appear in the Minnesota Department of Corrections' offender locator. The DOC tool is entirely separate from the county jail roster and covers people under state supervision across Minnesota.
VINE and Custody Notifications
For ongoing custody tracking, VINE sends automatic alerts any time a registered person's status changes. The service is free. It covers both the Mower County jail and Minnesota state prisons. You can register by phone at 1-877-664-8463 or sign up on the VINE website. Alerts go by phone, text, or email based on your preference.
Nearby Counties
Mower County sits in southeastern Minnesota on the Iowa state line. It shares borders with Freeborn, Fillmore, Dodge, Faribault, and Houston counties.