High incarceration rate leaves most of Kentucky’s jails overpopulated. See the data.
READ MORE
KY’s jam-packed jails
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Kentucky in early 2020, fears of spread in communal settings drove the state to release certain prison and jail inmates in an effort to reduce transmission risks behind bars.
Now, two years later with COVID restrictions lifted, Kentucky’s jails are filling up – and in some cases overflowing.
Expand All
KY jails are again overfilling after COVID restrictions lift. Will new laws make it worse?
High incarceration rate leaves most of Kentucky’s jails overpopulated. See the data.
How legislators, jailers aim to fight recidivism, overcrowding in Kentucky jails
Central Kentucky jail deals with overpopulation
With more than 21,000 people in its county jails and more than 9,000 people behind bars in state prisons, Kentucky has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
The majority of the state’s county jails have more inmates than they have beds, with some jails having more than double the population than they have the capacity to hold.
Due to fears about COVID-19 spread in congregate settings, Gov. Andy Beshear in 2020 released certain inmates from detention facilities. The move briefly alleviated overpopulation issues in jails, but jailers are again reporting high numbers of inmates.
See where Kentucky’s county jails are the most overpopulated, and why new legislation has led to concerns of overpopulation getting worse.