Iowa’s prison population is forecast to grow by 39-percent over the next decade, according to a new report from the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning. Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says although the report estimates Iowa’s inmate count at 11,317 by mid-2024, it’s unlikely to actually reach that level.

There are currently just under 82-hundred (8,200) inmates in Iowa prisons that are designed to accommodate 7,276 prisoners. Scaletta says his agency has been working with lawmakers and the Board of Parole to improve the community-based corrections system and reduce recidivism for inmates who are freed.

The 34-page Prison Population Forecast report is was presented to the Board of Corrections at its meeting in Des Moines.