Jefferson County Jail Roster Overview
Jail custody for Jefferson County runs through the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, not the Sheriff's Office. The department headquarters is at 400 S. Sixth St., at the corner of Sixth and Liberty, and its lobby is open to the public for information 24 hours a day. The official inmate information line is 502-574-8477. Over the past five years, the department reports more than 30,000 bookings.
The current inmate search is the public roster. The official Corrections page says it shows who is in custody, the inmate custody identification number, the booking date, the charges, the bond amount, and the next court date. The roster covers people currently held. Once a person is released or transferred, the current search may no longer show them, and a notification service or a state or federal search becomes the better trail.
Inmates also have programs available, from a Goodwill soft-skills academy and GED classes to substance abuse, mental health, and religious programs, plus home incarceration and day reporting. The department says all inmates have rights set by Kentucky regulations, statutes, and case law that protect access to the courts, an attorney, mail, visitation, the telephone, and an internal grievance process.
How to Use the Jefferson County Inmate Roster
The roster is built for quick lookups. You search by a word or phrase, then filter or sort the results. Exact spelling helps, and aliases are worth trying when a name is common. Work through the steps below.
- Open the Louisville Metro Corrections current inmate search.
- Enter the inmate's name, or a custody identification number if you have it.
- Filter or sort the results to find the right person and booking.
- Note the custody number, booking date, charges, bond, and next court date.
- If the person does not appear, call the inmate information line at 502-574-8477.
For visits, the official pages say to obtain the custody identification number first, which you can get through the custody number line at 1-800-511-1670.
Jefferson County Roster Search Fields
The current inmate search keeps its form simple. A name or phrase drives the lookup, and the custody number narrows it to one person. The table lists the fields the official roster uses.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by word or phrase | Text | No | Search and then filter or sort the results. |
| Name | Text | No | Use exact spelling; try aliases for common names. |
| CIN / custody number | Text | No | Custody identification number; needed for visits. |
| Booking / ID number | Text | No | Required for addressing inmate mail. |
| Booking date | Filter | No | Appears in results and can help narrow a search. |
| Sort / filter controls | Controls | No | Filter or sort returned records. |
A custody identification number is the cleanest way to confirm you have the right person before you visit or send funds.
What the Custody Identification Number Is For
The custody identification number, often shortened to CIN, is the key that ties everything together. It is more than a search field. Once you have it, the number follows the inmate through the systems families use most.
- Confirming you have the right person on the roster before a visit.
- Scheduling an on-site or remote visit through the video visitation service.
- Addressing mail correctly so it reaches the inmate.
- Making a deposit to the right inmate money account.
The official pages tell visitors to obtain the custody number first, and they list a dedicated line at 1-800-511-1670 for it. If you cannot find the number on the roster, the inmate information line at 502-574-8477 can help. Keeping the CIN written down saves time at every later step.
What a Jefferson County Inmate Profile Shows
Each roster record sums up a person's current custody. It is a snapshot, not a full case file, so charges may change as the court process moves. The table shows the fields a Jefferson County inmate profile carries.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full Name | The inmate's legal name as booked. |
| CIN / Booking ID | The custody and booking identifiers. |
| Custody Status | Whether the person is currently in custody. |
| Booking Date | When the person was booked into the jail. |
| Charges | The charges listed at booking. |
| Bond Amount | The bond set for release, if any. |
| Next Court Date | The next scheduled court setting. |
Medical and mental-health details, classification notes, and any juvenile or sealed information are not public.
Jefferson County Jail Facilities
The county jail system centers on a downtown complex, with related facilities and programs nearby. The contact cards below cover the main custody and program locations.
LMDC Main Jail Complex
400 S. Sixth Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-574-8477
Lobby open 24 hours
Community Correctional Center
316 E. Chestnut Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-574-2141
Confirm current status before visiting
LMDC Inmate Contacts
Inmate information: 502-574-8477
Property or money: 502-574-2146
Classification: 502-574-2120
Custody number line: 1-800-511-1670
The Main Jail Complex carries a rated capacity of about 1,373 beds, so housing and classification can affect where and when a visit happens.
Booking Process in Jefferson County
Booking turns an arrest into a custody record. After an arrest, the agency brings the person to the jail for intake. Intake generally includes identification, property handling, a classification review, a medical and mental-health screening, charge entry, and a booking number. The jail then schedules the first court appearance.
Bond and the first hearing follow quickly. The District Criminal and Traffic division provides bench clerks for in-custody arraignment and accepts bonds around the clock, except property bonds. Surety bonds can be posted any time and carry a $25 filing fee, and they require Kentucky residency and a Kentucky ID. A profile that lists a next court date means the case is already moving through District Court.
Property bonds work on a tighter schedule. They can only be posted Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the person posting must own Kentucky property, be a Kentucky resident, and have a Quitclaim Deed approved by a judge. Partially secured bonds also require Kentucky residency and a Kentucky ID. Because rules differ by bond type, confirm what applies before you go, since a wrong bond type can mean a wasted trip.
Jefferson County Jail Visitation Hours and Rules
Louisville Metro Corrections uses Securus video visitation for both on-site and remote visits. Free on-site public visits must be scheduled in advance, and remote visits cost a set fee. Visitors create a free Securus account, request approval to visit the inmate, wait for review, then schedule. The table sums up the options.
| Visit Type | Cost | Length | Frequency | Scheduling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site Public Visit | Free | 20 minutes | Two per week | Schedule at least 24 hours ahead through Securus. |
| Remote Visit | $5.00 | 20 minutes | Unlimited | Securus account, approval, and credit or debit payment. |
Visit rules apply. Participants must remain seated and clothed, only registered visitors may join, and anyone showing signs of drug or alcohol use loses the privilege. A remote visit needs a device with a webcam, a microphone, and high-speed internet. Visitors who break a court order also lose visiting privileges.
Schedule a visit only after the inmate's request for approval is reviewed, which can take up to a day. An older housing-unit schedule once set visits by unit and status, but the video visitation policy now controls unless the department says otherwise. Marriage requests are handled separately and go to Louisville Metro Corrections at 400 S. Sixth Street, in care of the chaplain.
How to Contact a Jefferson County Inmate
Mail is processed off site, not at the jail. Regular postal mail is scanned and delivered to inmates on kiosks or tablets through a mail service. All regular inmate mail must be addressed to Smart Communications / Louisville Metro Corrections, with the inmate name and booking number, PO Box 9180, Seminole, FL 33775-9174. The inmate's name and booking or ID number must appear on the outside of the envelope or postcard.
Phones work one direction. The visits page says messages and incoming calls are not accepted for inmates. For an emergency, contact Classification at 502-574-2120. To block a call from an inmate, call 502-574-2259. Release and custody-change alerts come through the VINE notification service.
The VINELink notification portal lets you register for alerts about custody changes.
VINE can alert you by phone or email when a person is released, transferred, or has an upcoming hearing.
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Money for an inmate runs through an approved payment service. The Corrections landing page says TouchPay offers online deposits by debit or credit card, kiosk payments by cash, debit, or credit, and telephone payments for a small processing fee. The inmate property or money accounts line is 502-574-2146.
Bond is separate from commissary money and can be paid by credit or debit card, with court bond rules handled through the District Criminal and Traffic division. Keep the booking number handy for any deposit so the funds reach the right account. A small processing fee applies to deposits, and the method you pick, online, kiosk, or phone, can change that fee, so review the cost before you confirm a payment.
Searching State and Federal Inmates
The county roster only covers the local jail. For a person sentenced to state prison, the Kentucky Department of Corrections runs the Kentucky Online Offender Lookup. It searches by name and other filters and shows demographics, conviction information, supervision status, and a projected release date. The Kentucky DOC KOOL information page explains the tool and its disclaimers.
The state tool comes with cautions. It says offender data newer than 120 days may not be finalized, and most offenders have photos though there is no guarantee. The KOOL FAQ covers photos, search tips, and what the records include.
For federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons runs its own locator. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator searches by number or by name and covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present.
Federal release dates can shift due to recalculations, so check back rather than relying on a single result. For more on tracking a person after custody ends, see released inmates.
When you are not sure which system holds a person, the notification service is a useful safety net. Kentucky says its VINE service includes data from county jails, state prisons, mental health facilities, and juvenile detention centers, so a single registration can flag a release or transfer even if the person moves between systems. Pair it with the right search tool for the level of custody, and you cover the most likely paths.