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Iowa House Republicans eye ‘tough on crime’ package for 2026
House GOP pushes proactive crime package as Iowa crime and recidivism fall — prosecutors and Democrats urge caution
Jan. 6, 2026 5:30 am, Updated: Jan. 6, 2026 7:34 am
- Iowa House Republicans plan to introduce a “tough on crime” package aimed at repeat offenders, with Speaker Pat Grassley framing the push as a proactive effort to prevent Iowa from developing public safety problems seen in larger Midwestern cities.
- Ideas under discussion include a modified “three strikes” sentencing law and possible bail reform, though GOP leaders stress no bill language has been released and details are still being developed, with the focus on discouraging violent and repeat offenders.
- The push comes despite data showing crime trending down in Iowa and recidivism rates at a 10-year low
- Prosecutors and Democrats urge caution, warning that expanded mandatory minimums and bail changes could worsen jail and prison overcrowding without new funding, while some county attorneys argue for a more targeted, “smart on crime” approach that pairs accountability for violent offenders with rehabilitation and treatment options.
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DES MOINES — Iowa House Republicans say they want to move early in the 2026 legislative session on a “tough on crime” package aimed at repeat offenders — a push Speaker Pat Grassley framed as a proactive effort to keep Iowa from developing the kinds of public safety problems that have drawn national attention in larger Midwestern cities.
Early outlines include a “three strikes” approach tied to longer mandatory prison sentences for people who have previously been convicted of violent crimes and some form of bail reform, though GOP leaders say the specifics are still being developed and no bill language has been released.
Grassley, R-New Hartford, said the effort is aimed at discouraging repeat and violent offenders by ensuring Iowa enforces consequences for persistent criminal behavior.
“We are going to make sure Iowa is not a place career criminals want to live,” he recently posted on social media.
House Republicans, he said, want to act before Iowa faces the same level of crime challenges seen in places like Chicago and Minneapolis — while also arguing that parts of Eastern Iowa already feel ripple effects from larger metro areas.
“And as you see what's happening in Chicago, as you see what's happening in Illinois or in Minnesota, I think it's important for us to make sure that Iowa not only doesn't turn into places like that,” Grassley said in a recent interview. “But if you talk to some of my friends on the eastern side of the state, in Scott County, for example, they've got a lot of issues that they face from crime spilling over into this state. And so I think it's extremely important for us to make sure Iowa does not turn into those places, but also not ignoring that stuff's not happening here.”
Legislative Preview Series
The Iowa Legislature begins its 2026 session Jan. 12. The Gazette will examine these state issues in the days leading up to the session:
Sunday: Property taxes
Monday: State budget
Today: Public safety
Wednesday: Eminent domain
Thursday: Agriculture/environment
Friday: Health care
Saturday: Abortion
Jan. 11: Higher education
Jan. 12: K-12 education
Despite repeated Trump administration claims that Chicago and Minneapolis are overrun by rampant crime, available city data and local reporting show violent crime generally declined in both cities in 2025 — generally aligning with a nationwide downward trend following a pandemic-era spike.
In Minneapolis, police statistics and Minnesota media reports show fewer shootings and homicides in 2025 than 2024, with some measures approaching or falling below pre-pandemic levels. That trend has unfolded alongside high-profile mass shootings, including a late-summer attack at a Catholic church and school that killed two children and wounded others — events that drew national attention despite broader declines.
In Chicago, city data reported by local outlets show homicides and shootings down roughly 30 to 35 percent year over year, with additional drops in robberies and carjackings. Still, high-visibility violence, including a fatal shooting on a CTA train late in the year, has reinforced public concern about safety.
Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not running for re-election, declined to be interviewed for the Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau’s legislative preview series.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird will host a press conference Tuesday to announce her 2026 legislative priorities.
Downward crime trend
The Republican messaging comes as the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Reporting-based summaries show most crimes in Iowa trending downward in recent years. State and national statistical summaries based on the latest UCR data indicate overall crime in Iowa declined from 2023 to 2024. Iowa’s violent and property crime rates also remained below national averages.
The Iowa Department of Corrections in September also reported that the rate of individuals in the state who were released from incarceration and then sent back to prison within three years decreased by 3 percent in the most recent data and reached a 10-year low. The department credited treatment, evidence-based practices and reentry improvements for fewer people being sent back to Iowa’s prisons on repeat offenses.
Criminal justice experts, though, cautioned that while the state numbers generally can be viewed as positive, recidivism rates are limited in what they say about a state’s corrections department or criminal justice system.
Still, GOP leaders say the decline is not a reason to wait — and argue lawmakers should use the current moment to strengthen laws aimed at repeat offenders before any broader uptick takes hold.
Republicans eye three-strikes law, bail reform
Grassley said House Republicans are discussing a potential “three strikes” sentencing law, a policy that would require significantly longer mandatory prison terms for people convicted of a third serious or violent felony.
The approach is intended to incapacitate repeat offenders and deter crime by sharply limiting judicial discretion — requiring judges to impose fixed, severe sentences for a third offense — once someone has two prior qualifying convictions. Critics, however, argue such laws have fueled prison overcrowding and raised fairness concerns, particularly when less serious offenses trigger the third strike, prompting some states to later narrow or revise their statutes.
Grassley suggested House Republicans are exploring a modified version of what other states have adopted, potentially using a system that counts violent, dangerous or drug offenses differently than lower-level conduct, with some misdemeanors potentially counting as partial “strikes” that can add up over time.
“I think the part of the reason why we're looking at the three strikes is because, right now, we have individuals that continue to plead down, but they have … this long record, but everything got pled down,” Grassley said.
Iowa already has habitual offender laws that impose enhanced penalties on people with repeated convictions, though they are more limited than a traditional “three strikes” framework.
Under Iowa Code, someone convicted of a Class C or D felony who has at least two prior felony convictions can be sentenced as a criminal habitual offender, triggering a mandatory minimum of three years in prison. People sentenced under the statute are not eligible for parole until the mandatory minimum is served.
House Public Safety Committee chair expects early action
Rep. Mike Vondran, R-Davenport, who chairs the House Public Safety Committee, echoed the “proactive” framing and said he expects serious conversation early in the session.
“One of the reasons that Iowans choose to live in our state is because they believe Iowa is safe, and we want to maintain that safety,” Vondran said. “It’s paramount within our committee … by acting proactively. Why wait for violent crimes and cases that we're seeing elsewhere in the country, or even some of our neighboring states, to become a more devastating issue here in Iowa?”
Vondran said the focus is on “dangerous repeat offenders,” but that details are still forthcoming.
In Scott County, Assistant County Attorney Richard Kirkendall said more than 90 percent of defendants have prior convictions, with many recently released from Illinois. The workload has been heavy enough that the office has had to add staff in the past year, he said, despite statewide crime data suggesting overall crime is trending down.
“If there is a drop in crime going on, I don't think it's been a significant enough one to impact how busy we are,” he said, adding, “there's a temptation to say, ‘Oh, we can let our foot off the gas a little bit because numbers have gone down a little bit,’ but I think that just invites trouble.”
Kirkendall said the bigger strain is not a lack of sentencing tools, but a lack of space to hold offenders. Scott County’s jail has been “way over capacity,” he said, noting that “we were housing over 100 people out of county at one point last week,” an expense borne by local taxpayers. And when defendants are sent to prison, he said, overcrowding there often leads to early parole.
“If you don't want to give people bail, you still need someplace to put them, right?” Kirkendall said.
As lawmakers weigh tougher sentencing, Iowa’s prison system already faces significant overcrowding. The Iowa Department of Corrections reported the state’s prison system is about 23 percent over capacity — with 8,601 people incarcerated statewide as of Monday compared with a total capacity of 6,990. Several facilities are far beyond their design limits, including Anamosa — with 1,229 people in a prison built for 908 — and Oakdale housing 955 prisoners in space designed for 585, raising concerns about how longer mandatory sentences could further strain the system.
Rather than focusing only on tougher penalties, Kirkendall argued lawmakers should invest in more capacity and better programming behind bars to reduce repeat offenses. He also warned lawmakers that tougher sentencing and bail laws without funding could backfire.
“What I would like to focus on costs money,” he said, urging legislators to avoid “creating unfunded mandates that don't actually go to solving the issue, which is, we need more places to put people.”
Linn County Attorney: Be tough, but ‘smart’ on crime
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, a Democrat, said he has seen “a downward trend in crime rates” locally since 2023 — especially in violent crime — and urged lawmakers to focus on outcomes, discretion and resources rather than broad mandates.
“I guess I'm not opposed to being tough on crime,” Maybanks said. “But I also, I always emphasize not just being tough on crime, but being smart on crime. … What we're trying to do is rehabilitate, reintegrate and deter crime.”
Maybanks said he supports tougher penalties, including mandatory minimums for certain grave crimes — including child abuse — but warned about sweeping changes that don’t account for individual circumstances. He also described potential system impacts from broad mandatory minimum expansions, including added litigation, court backlogs and strains on public defenders.
The county prosecutor previously worked on a narrower repeat-violent-offender bill in 2024 with House Judiciary Chairman Steven Holt, R-Denison.
House File 2572 would have created a new “persistent felony offender” category for someone convicted of a forcible felony — such as murder, sexual abuse, robbery, kidnapping, human trafficking and felony child endangerment — who had two prior forcible felony convictions within the previous 20 years. Under the proposal, those offenders would face a life sentence, with eligibility for parole only after serving a minimum term set by a judge. The bill advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee but later stalled.
“In my mind, I think that's where we need to focus. The tougher legislation is on the vulnerable victims in the crimes that present grave risks to the community,” Maybanks said.
Maybanks pointed to a change in his own office as a model for balancing accountability with rehabilitation. The Linn County Attorney’s Office added a new “rehabilitation prosecutor” position funded by the Linn County Board of Supervisors starting July 1.
While the position is formally a felony prosecutor slot, Maybanks said he reassigned caseloads so one attorney could focus specifically on cases where defendants are strong candidates for probation, treatment and reentry-focused outcomes. The prosecutor also serves as the office’s primary contact for drug court and specialty courts.
Maybanks said the shift allows other felony prosecutors to concentrate more heavily on violent crime and sexual abuse cases, while ensuring people better suited for treatment-based paths get consistent attention.
“Because of that, I believe that we not only have a strong, consistent resource to help people get back on their feet and reintegrate, we also have a team of steadfast and dedicated prosecutors to hold violent criminals accountable because they have the time to do it,” he said.
Since launching the position, Maybanks said he’s already seen benefits in reduced backlogs and more trial capacity in serious cases, while also giving rehabilitation-focused defendants a dedicated advocate within the office.
For Maybanks, the new role reflects what he’s urging lawmakers to consider as they craft statewide policy: focusing tough penalties on the most dangerous offenders, while also building structures that help others avoid becoming repeat clients of the justice system.
Democrats urge caution
House Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, said Democrats will review proposals as they emerge but raised concerns about prison capacity and costs if sentencing is significantly expanded.
“The devil’s in the details,” Meyer said, warning lawmakers would need to be ready to fund major prison expansion if they plan to “throw everybody in jail.”
Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner, of Iowa City, said lawmakers have already passed multiple bills in recent years expanding sentences or mandatory minimums, and argued mental health investment would do more to improve public safety and reduce jail and prison pressures.
“I would argue that we need more things like more mental health courts and we need more (inpatient mental health) beds … so that jails and prisons don't become our No. 1 mental health facility,” Weiner said.
State Rep. Eric Gjerde, a Cedar Rapids police officer and the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Public Safety Committee, said Democrats have supported public safety measures in recent years but are waiting for specifics.
“Until I see details and information, I can’t comment,” Gjerde said. He said he has not heard widespread concerns from constituents demanding changes, but expressed hope any proposal could draw bipartisan backing.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, said he sees “alignment forming” with the House on public safety priorities but wants to review the House package first. He said some Senate Republicans have concerns about “cashless bail,” though he hasn’t yet had conversations with prosecutors or county attorneys about specific proposals.
The Iowa County Attorneys Association’s published legislative priorities for the 2026 session focus on issues such as addressing limitations to forensic interviews of child victims at accredited child protection centers, increasing penalties for child pornography involving younger children, expanding intimidation with a dangerous weapon statutes, and preserving the independence of county attorneys’ offices. The list does not explicitly call for mandatory minimum expansions or bail reform.
For now, Republicans say the goal is to get ahead of the problem — even as the latest statewide data shows Iowa remains relatively safe.
Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com
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