The Knott County Inmate Population
Knott County does not operate a current standalone jail roster or a standalone county jail page in the official sources reviewed. Local jail custody is served by Kentucky River Regional Jail in Hazard, a regional facility that also appears in the Prison Policy Initiative regional jail table as serving Perry, Breathitt, and Knott counties. That structure matters because the total population at Kentucky River Regional Jail is not the same thing as a Knott-only inmate count. A person arrested in Knott County may be booked into the regional jail, while a person sentenced from a Knott case may later appear in the statewide Kentucky Department of Corrections system.
The Knott County inmate population therefore has three practical parts. The first is current local custody at Kentucky River Regional Jail. The second is statewide custody or supervision in the Kentucky Offender Online Lookup. The third is federal or immigration custody, which uses federal systems rather than county jail records. Arrests, bond decisions, court orders, transfers, and sentencing can move a person from one channel to another, so a single search can miss someone if it uses the wrong system.
Knott County Inmate Population Statistics
The most reliable local facility number in the research is the regional jail capacity, not a Knott-only average daily population. Perry County Fiscal Court lists Kentucky River Regional Jail as a 150-bed facility. Census sources place Knott County's local resident population in a much smaller rural context than the regional jail's multi-county service area. Official sources did not publish a current average daily population, annual booking total, or average length of stay for Knott detainees at Kentucky River Regional Jail.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky River Regional Jail rated capacity | 150 beds | Perry County Fiscal Court jail page, accessed 2026 |
| Facility serving current Knott jail custody | Kentucky River Regional Jail | Perry County Fiscal Court, Prison Policy Initiative, KACo |
| Counties listed for KRRJ in regional jail data | Perry, Breathitt, Knott | Prison Policy Initiative table from 2019 Census of Jails |
| Knott County 2025 population estimate | 13,321 | U.S. Census county population estimates |
| Kentucky statewide incarceration rate | 889 per 100,000 people | Prison Policy Initiative Kentucky profile |
The Census QuickFacts page for Knott County gives local population context rather than jail counts.
Those Census figures help explain the county base, but they should not be treated as jail population data.
Knott County Inmate Population Trends
Official jail trend data specific to Knott detainees at Kentucky River Regional Jail was not located. The strongest local trend source is the Census county population estimate series, which shows Knott County's resident population falling each year from 2021 through 2025. That decline does not prove the jail population rose or fell. It does show why a small number of jail admissions can have a large public impact in a rural county.
| Year | County Population Estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14,043 | Census county estimates row |
| 2022 | 13,844 | Flood year affected local operations generally |
| 2023 | 13,656 | Census county estimates row |
| 2024 | 13,463 | Census county estimates row |
| 2025 | 13,321 | Census county estimates row |
Statewide context is broader. Vera's Kentucky trends research reports long-term growth in Kentucky jail and prison use, including a sharp rise in women held in Kentucky jails between 1970 and 2015. That statewide trend is useful background, but it is not a substitute for a dated Knott or KRRJ daily count.
Knott County Jail Capacity
Kentucky River Regional Jail is the capacity anchor for Knott County jail custody. The official facility page lists 150 beds and says prisoners are housed separately based on the crimes they committed, current risk assessment, and behavior. Kentucky law also matters here. KRS 532.100 uses a 150 percent capacity concept for certain DOC-directed state-prisoner transfer rules, which would place that threshold at 225 people for a 150-bed jail. No official current KRRJ count was located, so no claim should be made that the facility is above or below that level.
That lack of a public Knott-only jail count is not a reason to estimate. The safer reading is that the Knott County inmate population must be checked through custody records, phone confirmation, and state systems rather than a published dashboard. For public records, Kentucky River Regional Jail has a posted open-records policy with a named records custodian and written request channels.
Laws Governing Knott County Inmates
Kentucky law sets the framework for jail records, jail standards, custody duties, and booking-photo limits. These laws do not create a single public Knott County inmate population dashboard, but they explain why jail records may be requested, why local governments can use regional jail arrangements, and why custody records differ from court records.
Key statutes:
KRS 61.872 gives Kentucky residents the right to inspect public records unless an exception applies and allows written requests by mail, hand delivery, fax, or email.
KRS 441.025 requires counties to provide for incarceration of people arrested in the county, including by contract with another county or city.
KRS 441.055 directs the Kentucky Department of Corrections to set minimum jail standards for health, safety, custody, care, training, and recordkeeping.
KRS 72.025 requires a post-mortem examination in certain deaths, including deaths in police custody, jail, or a penal institution.
Search Knott County Inmates
There is no active official Knott County standalone jail roster in the sources reviewed. The official Kentucky River Regional Jail page links inmate search to KOOL, and separate research found the local KRRJ lookup offline. For a recent arrest, the most direct first step is the jail phone path because KOOL may lag behind a new booking. The inmate information line is used for current custody status, while the booking line is useful for new arrests or intake questions.
- Call Kentucky River Regional Jail inmate information for current local custody, especially for a same-day Knott County booking.
- Use the booking line if the arrest is new or the person may still be in intake.
- Search KOOL for statewide Kentucky custody, supervision, and sentenced-offender records.
- Use VINELink or Kentucky VINE at 1-800-511-1670 for release, transfer, escape, and parole-hearing notifications.
- For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP inmate locator or ICE Online Detainee Locator System instead of county jail records.
Knott County Inmate Lookup Fields
KOOL is the official statewide locator linked from the KRRJ jail page. It is more useful for sentenced state prisoners, supervision status, and broader Kentucky offender records than for a brand-new Knott booking. DOC states KOOL entries are updated daily and warns that offender data newer than 120 days may not be finalized. That notice is important when a family member is trying to confirm a recent arrest.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Search by offender surname. |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Helps narrow common names. |
| Middle Name | Text | Optional | Used when available. |
| Search aliases | Checkbox | Optional | Includes known alias records. |
| Only Photo Records | Checkbox | Optional | Limits results to profiles with photos. |
| DOC or PID Number | Text | Optional | Best when an identifier is known. |
| Location type | Dropdown | Optional | Can include prison, county jail, or historical locations. |
Knott County Inmate Record Details
A Knott County inmate record can mean different things depending on the office that holds it. Kentucky River Regional Jail can confirm or produce current custody facts. KOOL may show statewide offender details. The Kentucky Court of Justice keeps court case records after charges are filed. These are related records, but they are not the same file.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate name | The name used by jail or DOC records. |
| Inmate ID number | Required in the KRRJ inmate mail format. |
| Booking or intake date | The date a person entered jail custody, if available by phone or record request. |
| Charges | Booking charges, which may differ from charges later filed by a prosecutor. |
| Bond or hold status | Release conditions, no-bond holds, or another agency hold when available. |
| Custody status | In custody, released, transferred, sentenced, or under DOC supervision. |
Knott County Jail vs Prison
County jail custody is not the same as state prison custody. A Knott County arrest may begin at Kentucky River Regional Jail, but a felony sentence can move the person into the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Federal and immigration cases use separate systems. Searching only one database can create a false miss.
| Regional Jail | State Prison | Federal or ICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, local sentences, some state/local holds | Sentenced state offenders and supervision records | Federal criminal inmates or immigration detainees |
| Where to look | KRRJ phone lines and open records | Kentucky DOC KOOL | BOP inmate locator or ICE ODLS |
| Best use | Recent local custody | Sentenced or transferred cases | Non-county custody |
Knott County Detention Facilities
The Facility Map for Knott County resolves to one active local jail facility serving county detainees. The closed "Knott County Jail" location in KOOL should be treated as a historical entry, not as the active jail. No active state prison, federal prison, ICE detention center, or municipal jail was located inside Knott County in the official sources reviewed.
- Kentucky River Regional Jail - Regional jail in Hazard serving Knott County detainees, Perry County, and other regional-jail custody noted in source material.
Knott County Custody Records
Records requests should go to the office that holds the record. Kentucky River Regional Jail has a posted open-records policy naming Adam Dials, Assistant Administrator, as custodian. Requests may be sent by email to perryjailcd@ky.gov, mailed, or hand delivered to the jail. The policy states that the jail must respond within five business days of receipt and may ask a requester to explain Kentucky residency. Paper copies are listed at $0.10 per page, while commercial requests are listed at $0.25 per page with possible added costs allowed by policy.
Sheriff-originated arrest or incident records should be requested through the Knott County Sheriff's Office. Court case records after a charge is filed start with the Knott County Circuit Court Clerk, because the Administrative Office of the Courts says it does not maintain the county case file. No official Knott County sheriff or police mobile app with an inmate roster, warrant search, most-wanted list, or records portal was located in the sources reviewed.
Knott County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Knott County inmate population?
No official Knott-only daily jail population was located in the research. The main facility serving Knott County jail custody is Kentucky River Regional Jail, which has 150 rated beds and serves a regional population, not just Knott County.
How do I search the Knott County inmate population?
For a current local booking, call Kentucky River Regional Jail inmate information or booking. For statewide custody, supervision, or sentenced cases, search KOOL and consider VINE for release or transfer notices.
Can a released Knott County inmate be found online?
Recent release information may not stay in one local roster because no active official KRRJ roster was located. Use KRRJ open records for jail-held records, KOOL for statewide offender records, and the Knott Circuit Court Clerk for court case records.
Does the sheriff run the Knott County jail?
The Knott County Sheriff's Office is the local law-enforcement starting point for many arrests, but custody questions route to Kentucky River Regional Jail in Hazard because Knott uses the regional jail arrangement.