State inmates are prisoners convicted of a felony and under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Of the nearly 20,000 total state inmates in Kentucky, approximately 36% are housed in county jails rather than state prisons.
Convicted felons typically served their sentences in state prisons until 1992, when state law was changed to require most Class D felony and some Class C felony inmates to serve their sentences in county jails (KRS 532.100). As a result, counties house thousands of inmates under state jurisdiction.
Kentucky currently has 74 county jails housing state inmates: 70 full-service and 4 regional jails. For more information on jail classifications, click here.
Jails housing state inmates report their populations to DOC weekly. These reports are available on the DOC website.
In fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026), county jails housed an average of 7,098 state inmates per week. These inmates accounted for 34.9% of all inmates housed in county jails in Kentucky.
State inmate breakdown
The largest group of state inmates in county jails are Class D felony inmates. Class D felonies carry sentences of one to five years and include offenses such as theft of property of $1,000 or more but less $10,000.
State law generally requires Class D inmates to serve their sentences in county jail, except those convicted of a sexual offense carrying a sentence of two years or more (KRS 532.100). In FY2026, county jails housed an average of 4,170 Class D felony inmates per week.
Class C felonies account for the second-largest group of state inmates housed in county jails. Class C felonies carry sentences of five to ten years and include offenses such as theft of property of $10,000 or more but less than $1 million.
Under KRS 532.100, certain Class C felony inmates may be housed in county jail if they are classified as community custody and were not convicted of a sexual offense that carries a sentence of two years or more. On average, there were 1,204 Class C felony inmates per week housed in county jails in FY2026.
Counties also house controlled intake inmates, who are state inmates awaiting classification and placement by DOC following sentencing. These inmates remain in county jails while DOC determines where they will serve their sentences.
Under KRS 532.100(8), state prisoners who are not eligible to serve their sentences in county jail must be transferred to a state-run facility within 45 days of final sentencing. Current state budget language allows an additional 45 days, for a total of 90 days, if the county jail does not object to the extension.
In FY2026, county jails housed an average of 1,134 controlled intake inmates per week.
Other categories of state inmates housed in county jails include parole violators and alternative sentence participants. Alternative sentence participants serve their sentences in a county jail as a condition of probation or conditional discharge. In FY2026, county jails housed an average of 209 alternative sentence participants and 382 parole violators per week.
Trends over time
The state inmate population in county jails has declined significantly since 2019, falling from approximately 11,500 inmates to an average of 7,098 per week in FY2026.
The largest declines occurred among Class D felony inmates, down 1,882 and controlled intake inmates, down 1,221. However, the population declined across all inmate categories over this period.
Some of the decline is attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2019 to 2020, the state inmate population in county jails fell by 19%, largely due to the early release of nonviolent, nonsexual offenders to limit the spread of COVID-19 in congregate settings.
In more recent years, the decline has been driven largely by the decrease in controlled intake inmates. The time DOC takes to classify inmates after sentencing and transfer them to other facilities directly affects this population count.
The controlled intake population began declining in March 2023 and continued to fall before leveling off in 2025. This population declined again in early 2026, with a 6% decrease from FY2025 to FY2026.
The Class D felony inmate population saw the largest growth in FY2026, with a 3.2% increase from FY2025, followed by Class C inmates, which grew by 1.2%.
Parole violators and alternative sentence participants dropped significantly by 10.3% and 20.8%, respectively. Despite these large year-over-year percentage decreases, the two populations combined made up only 8% of the state inmate population in county jails.
What the numbers mean for counties
The number of state inmates housed in county jails affects jail operations, staffing, available bed space and county budgets.
Although these inmates are under state jurisdiction, they are housed in facilities that counties must safely operate and maintain. Tracking these trends helps county officials better understand state corrections policies and plan for the resources necessary to house state inmates.
