Kentucky Inmate Records

Kentucky is one of the places with the most incarcerated persons in the United States. The state has an imprisonment rate of 437 per 100,000 people, which is notably higher than the national average of 355 per 1000,000 total population of the United States. With its considerably smaller population, about 32,000 individuals are incarcerated in the state's prison system annually. These include approximately 19,744 in state-run prisons, an estimated 9,346 in local jail facilities, and about 3,200 in federal prisons operating in the state.

Each person incarcerated in a prison or jail in Kentucky has a record in their name known as an inmate record. This record is collected and maintained by the agency in charge of the administration of the correctional facility where each inmate is held. A Prison or jail authority in the state can be a state, local, or federal government agency.

The following are some of the details included in a typical Kentucky inmate record:

• Person Information of the Inmate - This largely includes the inmate's full name, age, sex, mugshot, race, eye color, height, hair color, aliases, and weight.
• Arrest Details - Included in an inmate record are the arrest date, the place of arrest, the arrest warrant, charges filed, and information regarding the arresting law enforcement agency.
• Release and Parole Details - These include parole eligibility date, minimum expiration of sentence date, maximum expiration of sentence date, and parole information. Parole information typically consists of the hearing date, months deferred, hearing action, next parole eligibility date, and proposed release date.
• Conviction Details - These include the nature of the crime committed, crime date, conviction county, conviction date, felony class, and sentence length.
• Court Details - These include court dates, case numbers, court orders, judgment, and trial details.

Are Inmate Records Public in Kentucky?

Kentucky inmate records are considered public records under Section 61.872 of the state's Revised Statutes. They are open for inspection and copying in a manner permitted by state law. However, sealed or expunged inmate records are exempt from disclosure. Also, details such as financial information, medical records, social security number, and driver's license number are usually redacted from inmate records before making such records accessible to the public.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in Kentucky?

Agencies responsible for keeping inmate records in the Commonwealth of Kentucky include the following:

• The Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC) - The Kentucky Department of Corrections is one of the primary government agencies responsible for maintaining inmate records in the commonwealth. It manages all 14 state-run adult correctional facilities that house convicted felons and keeps accurate records of such offenders.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The county sheriff's offices in Kentucky oversee about 74 county jails across the Commonwealth. These jail facilities house recently arrested offenders, those serving sentences for misdemeanor crimes, and those in pretrial detention (felony arrests inclusive). Each county sheriff's office in charge of a local jail is responsible for maintaining up-to-date records of all the inmates held in their jail facility.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - All five federal prisons in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The BOP typically has jurisdiction over offenders sentenced to prison for violating federal laws in the state and keeps records of such inmates.
• Police Departments - Police departments in the various parts of the Commonwealth keep records of all arrests made in their jurisdiction, which are also a part of inmate records. The arrest records include those of individuals who have been convicted and are serving a prison or jail term in any correctional facility in the state, including state, local, and federal prisons/jails.

How To Search an Inmate's Information in Kentucky

Before setting you to find an inmate's information in Kentucky, a person must determine whether the inmate whose information they seek is housed in a state, local, or federal correctional facility in the Commonwealth.

Find an inmate in Kentucky State Prisons

The Kentucky Online Offender Lookup tool (KOOL) provided by the state's Department of Corrections (DOC) allows anyone to find information about inmates currently serving time in any of the state-run prisons. With as little information as required, a search on KOOL will return results matching the search criteria/criterion. Generally, the tool allows name-based search and makes provision for advanced search filters using an inmate's DOC number, PID number, and several other parameters. Search results will often include inmates' personal information, parole information, and conviction details.

While KOOL provides a handful of inmate information, a person could obtain a more detailed record by submitting a request to the state-run facility where the inmate whose record they seek is incarcerated. They may submit the request by mail or in person, but it is best to contact the correctional facility to know their preference. Whichever way the request is submitted, it must include basic information, such as the inmate's name, DOC number, admission date, gender, and age, that will help the custodian narrow their search.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

There is hardly any local jail in Kentucky without an online inmate search tool that allows members of the public to access information about offenders in their custody. These tools are typically found on the websites of the county sheriff's office overseeing those jails. Once a person identifies the particular local jail that holds an inmate of interest, they may look up the inmate's information on the jail's inmate locator or roster using the inmate's name, jail-assigned number, or any other criterion as required.

Visiting the local jail where an inmate is physically held in Kentucky is also a great way to find information about such an inmate in Kentucky. Inmate records obtained in person at a local jail facility are usually more detailed than what can be obtained online using inmate locators or rosters maintained by the county sheriff's offices.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

The BOP Inmate Locator allows anyone to obtain certain information about inmates incarcerated in any of the following federal prisons in the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1982 to the present:

• Lexington FMC
• Ashland FCI
• McCreary USP
• Big Sandy USP
• Manchester FCI

To conduct an inmate search on the BOP Inmate Locator, use the name or BOP number of the offender whose record is sought as the criteria and click the search button. A list of matching records will show up if a name-based search is conducted. Select the exact match from the list to view information such as the inmate's incarceration status, name, registration number, race, release date, age, and sex.

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

Old inmate records in Kentucky cannot be accessed through the online inmate search resources offered by the authorities of each correctional facility in the state. These resources only have records of inmates currently incarcerated in prisons or jails. As a result, anyone looking to find records of previously incarcerated offenders in the state must search elsewhere.

The first place to begin the search for an old inmate record for a person who served time in a state prison in Kentucky would be the State Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA). Interested persons may contact the KDLA at (502) 564-3800 to find out if their record of interest is available in the Archives. If the inmate whose information is sought was incarcerated in a federal prison in the state, the National Archives may have their record.

Furthermore, third-party sites like Kentuckypublicrecords.us have records of inmates collected at different times and from multiple official sources permanently maintained on their databases. Interested persons may access detailed records of inmates previously incarcerated in Kentucky through these sites at a small fee. It is also possible to access an old inmate record in the state by submitting a public records request to the relevant authority. For instance, to obtain the records of an old inmate who was housed in a state prison, anyone may submit an Open Record Request containing the former inmate's full name and date of birth by email or mail to the DOC at:

If the old inmate was housed in any of the federal correctional facilities in Kentucky, anyone looking to find their record may submit a FOIA request by email or mail to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Regardless of where a former inmate was housed in the state, their record may be accessed by visiting the correctional facility that held them while serving their prison/jail time in person. The custodian will generally need the old inmate's name, date of birth, and any other necessary information to locate their file. However, the search service may come at a cost.

Can I Find a Kentucky Inmate Record for Free?

Yes, it is possible to find a Kentucky inmate record free of charge. Online inmate search tools offered by prison/jail authorities in the state are all free, but they can only provide information regarding inmates held in correctional facilities overseen by such agencies. Anyone who needs to search for an inmate's records, regardless of where the inmate is incarcerated in the state, should consider using a credible third-party service like Kentuckypubicrecords.us, although at a nominal cost. These websites are a one-stop database and provide centralized access to all inmates in the state, including those housed in local, state, and federal correctional facilities.

Jails and Prisons in Kentucky

In Kentucky, correctional facilities are categorized based on management structure as listed below:

• State Prisons - The Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC) is responsible for all 14 state correctional facilities that hold adult offenders.
• Federal Prisons - The 5 federal correctional facilities in Kentucky are overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
• Local Jails - An estimated 74 local jails operate statewide in Kentucky, and they are all managed by different county sheriff's offices.
• Private Prisons - One of the prison facilities overseen by the Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC) is a private correctional facility.

State Prisons in Kentucky

Listed below are some of Kentucky's state-run prisons:

Private Prisons in Kentucky

The only private prison in Kentucky is Lee Adjustment Center.

Kentucky Inmate Statistics

• Kentucky Incarceration Rate - 437 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 778 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 100 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 63 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 814
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 2.9:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 0.4:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision: 1,836 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 1,577 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 359 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 4.7%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics