Anamosa Prison ends days long lockdown

ANAMOSA, Iowa (KCRG) - Days after an initial request for information, the Iowa Department of Corrections confirmed a roughly week-long lockdown at Anamosa State Penitentiary but is declining to give any other specifics.

KCRG reached out for information Monday upon hearing reports of an ongoing lockdown at Anamosa’s prison but did not receive a response until Friday, after filing a formal record request.

Department of Corrections Spokesperson Nich Crawford confirmed “Anamosa State Penitentiary was placed on restricted movement last week and as of (Friday), the facility is no longer on restricted movement.”

Crawford said it could not give any other specifics “due to the ongoing investigation” but said there was no major incident and that no staff or inmates were injured.

Anamosa State Penitentiary has been under increased security scruitiny since two inmates murdered guard Robert McFarland and nurse Lorena Schulte during an escape attempt in 2021. An OSHA report found shortcomings in staffing and equipment at the prison before the fatal attack. A state investigation of the incident also found staff shortages along with overcrowding contributing to safety issues inside Iowa’s prisons, though the full report remains sealed citing the risk of revealing security procedures.

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