Iowa Code » Chapter 904 — DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 904.201 (2026)

Iowa medical and classification center

✓ current as of July 2026
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1. The Iowa medical and classification center at Oakdale shall be utilized as a forensic psychiatric hospital for persons displaying evidence of mental illness or psychosocial disorders and requiring diagnostic services or treatment in a security setting, as a security unit for persons requiring confinement in a security setting, and as a classification unit for the reception, orientation, and classification of inmates before placement in the most appropriate correctional institutions according to necessary security and custody arrangements and the assessed service needs of the inmates.

2. The medical director of the department or the medical director’s designee shall secure the professional care and treatment of each person confined at the center and maintain a complete record on the condition of each person confined at the center.

3. a. The forensic psychiatric hospital may admit the following persons:

(1) Residents transferred from an institution under the jurisdiction of the department of health and human services or the Iowa department of corrections.

(2) Persons committed by the courts as mentally incompetent to stand trial pursuant to section 812.6.

(3) Persons referred by the courts for psychosocial diagnosis and recommendations as part of the pretrial or presentence procedure or determination of mental competency to stand trial.

(4) Prisoners transferred from county and city jails for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment for mental illness.\n\nTue Dec 09 21:52:30 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 904 (79, 3) §904.201, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 12\n\n b. Other persons may be admitted providing the admissions are not inconsistent with law and are within the capacity of the facilities and staff to accommodate the persons.

4. The classification unit shall admit inmates for purposes of orientation and classification before placement in the most appropriate correctional institutions.

5. The director may house inmates from any correctional institution at the center in order to provide the inmates with suitable security or medical treatment, or both. Unless an inmate is determined to be mentally ill, the inmate shall not be subjected involuntarily to psychiatric treatment.

6. All admissions to the forensic psychiatric hospital shall be by written application only. Application shall be made by the head of the state institution, agency, governmental body, or court requesting admission to the medical director of the department or the medical director’s designee. An application may be denied by the medical director of the department or the medical director’s designee, with the approval of the director, if the admission will result in an overcrowded condition or if adequate staff or facilities are not available. The decision regarding admission and discharge of persons shall be made by the medical director of the department or the medical director’s designee, subject to approval of the director.

7. When a person transferred to the center from any other state institution or admitted by request or order of any agency, governmental body, or court no longer requires special treatment in the security setting, the person may be returned to the source from which received. The state institution, agency, governmental body, or court that referred the person for hospitalization shall retain constructive jurisdiction over the person. Persons without legal encumbrances may be discharged directly from the center upon concurrence of the medical director of the department or the medical director’s designee and the head of the referring institution, agency, governmental body, or court. The support, commitment, and release statutes applicable to a person at the state institution from which transferred shall remain applicable while the person is at the center.

8. Chapter 230 governs the determination of costs and charges for the care and treatment of persons with mental illness admitted to the forensic psychiatric hospital. 85 Acts, ch 21, §29, 54 CS85, §246.201 C93, §904.201 96 Acts, ch 1129, §113; 2004 Acts, ch 1084, §15; 2004 Acts, ch 1106, §2; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §261; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §1330; 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §133, 137 2024 amendment to subsection 8 effective July 1, 2025; 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §137 Subsection 8 amended \n

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1995–2024 · leading case: State v. Capper, 539 N.W.2d 361 (Iowa 1995).
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State v. Capper, 539 N.W.2d 361 (Iowa 1995). “§ 904.201(3)(c). We have held that voluntary time spent in securing alcohol treatment need not be credited by the court in an operating while intoxicated sentencing.”
State Pub. Def. v. Iowa Dist. Court for Dallas Cnty. (Iowa Ct. App. 2024). · cites it 4× “Iowa Code § 904.201 (8).3 IV. Conclusion The district court lacked authority to assign the SPD a portion of the cost of the competency evaluation ordered by the court sua sponte.”
— Iowa Code § 904.201(3)(c) — 1 case
State v. Capper, 539 N.W.2d 361 (Iowa 1995). “§ 904.201(3)(c). We have held that voluntary time spent in securing alcohol treatment need not be credited by the court in an operating while intoxicated sentencing.”
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