20 Prisons in Kentucky: Exploring the Correctional Landscape

Prisons play a crucial role in the criminal justice system of any country, and Kentucky is no exception. As a state with a growing population and a high crime rate, Kentucky has a significant number of prisons that house thousands of inmates.

These prisons are operated by both the state and the federal government and are responsible for ensuring public safety by incarcerating those who have been convicted of crimes.

However, the conditions in these prisons have come under scrutiny in recent years, with concerns raised about overcrowding, understaffing, and inadequate resources.

In this article, we will explore the state of prisons in Kentucky, examining their history, current state, and the challenges they face in ensuring a safe and humane environment for both inmates and staff.

Kentucky Prison Map

Use the Kentucky prison map below to locate any facility. Click on the map markers to read our detailed guide of that facility.

State Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
Bell County Forestry Camp	Bell County, KY	300	Minimum	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Blackburn Correctional Complex	Lexington, KY	1,008	Minimum	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Eastern Kentucky Correctional Comp	Morgan County, KY	1,680	Medium	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Green River Correctional Complex	Central City, KY	1,200	Medium/ Minimum	Male	Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Department of Corrections
Kentucky Correctional Institution	Shelby County, KY	856	Multi-Custody	Female	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Kentucky State Penitentiary	Eddyville, KY	856	Maximum	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Kentucky State Reformatory	LaGrange, Kentucky	1051	Medium	Male	Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Dept. of Corrections
Lee Adjustment Center	Kentucky	866	Medium	Male	Private, CoreCivic
Little Sandy Correctional Complex	Elliott County, KY	1010	Medium	Male	Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Dept. of Corrections
Luther Luckett Correctional Complex	Kentucky	1173	Medium	Male	Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Dept. of Corrections
Northpoint Training Center	Kentucky	1256	Medium	Male	Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Dept. of Corrections
Roederer Correctional Complex	LaGrange, Kentucky	252	Medium/ Minimum	Male	Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Dept. of Corrections
Southeast State Correctional Complex	Floyd County, Kentucky	621	Medium	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Western Kentucky Correctional Complex	Lyon County, near Fredonia, Kentucky	693	Medium and Minimum	Male and Female	Kentucky Department of Corrections
Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center	Oldham County, near La Grange, Kentucky	1,204	Medium and Minimum	Male	Kentucky Department of Corrections

Bell County Forestry Camp

The Bell County Forestry Camp in Kentucky is a male minimum-security institution that aims to provide care, housing, custody, and control for its 300 inmates.

The institution’s program emphasis is focused on returning inmates to the community based on their demonstrated conduct and performance.

Inmates are encouraged to participate in various opportunities that can help them become responsible citizens upon their release. The facility, which opened in 1962, provides labor to the Division of Forestry for fire fighting and fire break clearing.

Additionally, the camp offers Governmental Services Program work details for other cities, counties, and state agencies. Overall, the Bell County Forestry Camp is dedicated to providing a safe and secure environment for its inmates while also contributing to the community through its various programs.

Blackburn Correctional Complex

Blackburn Correctional Complex (BCC) in Kentucky is a minimum-security prison that emphasizes security and control. The primary goal of the prison is to help inmates progress to community service centers and reintegrate into society as responsible citizens.

To achieve this goal, the prison offers a range of programs and services, including academic and vocational education, substance abuse treatment, recreation and club activities, and religious and counseling programs.

BCC is the largest adult male minimum-security institution in the Division of Adult Institutions and provides care, housing, custody, control, and governmental services jobs to inmates. The facility is located near Lexington, Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex

Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex is a medium security prison that provides care, custody, and control of adult male convicted felons. Located in the Appalachian Region of Morgan County in Eastern Kentucky, the institution was designed to be completed in two phases to meet the growing need for inmate housing.

The first phase was completed in February 1990, and the second phase in December 1991, at a total cost of $72,979,200. The prison sits on 157 acres of land and has a 90-bed minimum security unit outside the fence.

Its design received the 1990 Kentucky Society of Architects of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hone Award of Design Excellence.

The facility provides a structured work environment, academic and vocational education, and religious and behavior modification programs, all aimed at supporting inmate accountability, reducing recidivism, and increasing the incidence of community reintegration.

Green River Correctional Complex

Green River Correctional Complex is a medium/minimum security adult male correctional facility located in Central City, Kentucky. The facility was constructed in 1994 and is operated by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Department of Corrections.

The facility design is a direct supervision model, consisting of 3 medium security general population housing units with 444 double-bunked cells, a maximum security segregation unit with 44 single-bunked cells, and a 50-bed open dorm-style minimum security unit.

The ultimate mission of GRCC is to prepare inmates to return to society as contributing, law-abiding citizens. The facility is committed to providing an opportunity for all inmates to become productive citizens when they leave.

The operation of GRCC is governed by Kentucky Revised Statutes, Kentucky Administrative Regulations, Corrections policies and procedures, GRCC policies and procedures, and the American Correctional Association Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions.

Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women

The Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women (KCIW) is a facility located in Shelby County, Kentucky that houses adult female felons from all 120 counties in the state. The institution has been in operation since 1938 and is situated on a 270-acre campus near the town of Pewee Valley.

KCIW has been accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) since 1982. The facility consists of multiple housing units, with both double and single-bunked accommodations.

As a multi-custody facility, KCIW must meet the needs of female offenders serving one year to life, including those on death row, maximum, medium, minimum, community custody, first offenders, persistent offenders, the disabled, and special needs inmates.

The mission of KCIW is to provide humane programs and service opportunities for female offenders that will enhance their community reintegration and economic self-sufficiency, while also ensuring public, staff, and inmate safety.

Kentucky State Penitentiary

The Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP) in Eddyville, Lyon County, is the state’s sole maximum security prison for adult male inmates. Its primary mission is to provide care, custody, and control in a safe and secure environment.

The prison has a program thrust that is designed to move inmates to a less secure institution based on their demonstrated conduct, program performance, and need. KSP is home to Kentucky’s Death Row inmates.

The prison encourages individual inmates to help themselves, which increases their chances of returning to the community as responsible, taxpaying citizens. As the Department’s oldest facility, KSP plays a vital role in ensuring public safety and justice in Kentucky.

Kentucky State Reformatory

The Kentucky State Reformatory is a medium security facility located in LaGrange, Kentucky, approximately 30 miles North-East of Louisville. Under the administration of the Kentucky Justice Cabinet, Department of Corrections, it has a 1051-bed capacity.

It was the third prison built in Kentucky, established in 1798. The Reformatory has undergone many changes during its existence, and its history is closely linked with Kentucky’s political history and correctional philosophy.

The concept of the Kentucky State Reformatory was made possible through the appropriation of funds by the 1936 General Assembly and matching federal funds from the Public Works Administration. Architecturally, it appeared similar to schools and hospitals of that era, with open-wing dormitories instead of individual cells.

The prison hospital was said to be the best-equipped facility within a 15-state area. Overall, the Chandler Administration believed that the construction of the new buildings coupled with the adjacent area of farmland were Kentucky’s answer to rehabilitation.

Lee Adjustment Center

Lee Adjustment Center is a medium security institution located in Kentucky, with a mission to provide a safe, secure, and humane environment for its inmates. The center houses adult males under contract with the Kentucky Department of Corrections and has a capacity of 866 beds.

The facility is situated on an 88.28-acre parcel, with a secure compound surrounded by a 12-foot double perimeter fence equipped with an electronic stun fence.

The general population housing units include the South, North, and West Dorms, with the South and North Dorms being open-wing dormitory style units and the West Dorm containing 128 two-person cells in a five-pod configuration.

The Restrictive Housing Unit contains 50 beds, including forty-eight single cells and two observation cells. Lee Adjustment Center’s goal is to provide meaningful programming to the inmate population that will aid them in becoming responsible, productive members of society upon their release.

Little Sandy Correctional Complex

Little Sandy Correctional Complex is a medium security institution located in Elliott County, Kentucky. The mission of the facility is to protect society by confining offenders in a controlled environment that is safe, humane, and secure.

The complex provides self-improvement opportunities to inmates through education, correctional programs, and work. It is the state’s newest and most technologically advanced institution, with construction beginning in December 2001 and the first female inmates arriving in May 2005.

The complex houses 1010 inmates in two living units, including a 100-bed minimum security unit and a 90-bed special management unit.

In addition to the living units, there are numerous support buildings including academic and vocational schools, a medical unit, an inmate canteen, correctional industries, a gym, a dining facility, and a maintenance area.

Little Sandy Correctional Complex received its initial accreditation on August 13, 2007, and was reaccredited on July 13, 2013, with 100% compliance from the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Luther Luckett Correctional Complex

The Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, located in Kentucky, has a twofold mission: to promote public safety by incarcerating felons from the community and to offer inmates constructive programs, work assignments, and classification opportunities to positively contribute to society upon release.

The facility was built in response to a Federal Consent Decree involving the Kentucky Department of Corrections and was the first security institution constructed in the state since 1937.

Named after Luther Luckett, an employee of the Department of Corrections for 22 years, the facility houses two separate institutions: the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex and the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center, which operate under a shared services agreement.

Although originally designed to house 486 inmates, the operational capacity has been raised to 995 through double bunking and the addition of day beds. The facility’s current institutional capacity is 1173, and it has been operational since March 1981.

Northpoint Training Center

Northpoint Training Center is a medium-security institution in Kentucky that was originally constructed as a state mental hospital.

Its main purpose is to provide a safe, secure, and humane environment for its residents and to prepare incarcerated felons for successful reintegration into society through constructive classification, education, employment training programs, treatment services, and social programs.

The institution currently consists of 1,108 general population medium-security beds, 60 special management beds, and 40 minimum-security beds, with a current bed capacity of 1,256 inmates. Interestingly, the facilities were operated as the Kentucky State Hospital from 1946 until 1977 when phased under the control of the Bureau of Social Services.

The Department of Corrections received control of the property in January 1983, and Northpoint Training Center was initially conceived as a minimum-security institution for fewer than 500 inmates, but the mission rapidly changed to a medium-security institution with a proposed population of approximately 700 inmates.

Roederer Correctional Complex

The Roederer Correctional Complex is a medium/minimum security institution located in Kentucky, approximately 3 miles south of LaGrange and 20 miles north of Louisville. It was originally established on August 28, 1976, as a 150-bed minimum-security work camp institution designed to operate a 3,000-acre prison farm.

However, it was later converted into a medium/minimum security institution on December 1, 1987, with a capacity of 100 medium and 152 minimum custody inmates.

On May 1, 1989, the institution underwent another significant transformation and became the Assessment and Classification Center for the Kentucky Department of Corrections, serving as the first stop for all incoming state prisoners except for those who received the death penalty.

Southeast State Correctional Complex

Southeast State Correctional Complex is a medium-security prison located in Floyd County, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky has entered into a lease agreement with the current property owner to operate the facility as the 13th state prison in the Commonwealth.

The prison has a capacity of 621 beds and offers evidence-based programming including a substance abuse program, MRT, and educational courses. Vocational courses such as carpentry and horticulture programs are also available.

The complex is spread over 111 acres and consists of nine buildings including dormitories, an administration building, an education building, a visitation building, and a gymnasium.

Western Kentucky Correctional Complex

Western Kentucky Correctional Complex (WKCC) is a medium and minimum security correctional facility located in Lyon County near Fredonia, Kentucky.

Originally constructed in 1968 as a satellite facility and work camp of Kentucky State Penitentiary (KSP), the property was transformed into a separate correctional minimum security facility known as Western Kentucky Farm Center in 1977.

In 1989, the institution was renamed Western Kentucky Correctional Complex (WKCC) and became a medium security facility with a minimum security unit remaining. The facility underwent a transition in 2010 when its population changed from adult males to adult females.

Currently, WKCC houses a population of 693, with 493 beds located within a fenced perimeter and housing an adult male population, and 200 beds located outside the fenced perimeter at The Ross-Cash Center, which houses an adult female population.

WKCC has been accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA) since 1988, which is recognized throughout the nation as the accrediting body of correctional agencies.

The Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center

The Luther Luckett Correctional Complex is a Medium/MINIMUM-security state prison located in Oldham County, near La Grange, Kentucky. It opened in 1981 and currently houses a prison population of 1,204 as of 2018.

The Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center is located within the facility and shares several facilities with its host prison. However, due to extreme staffing shortages over the 2015–16 fiscal year, the facility now operates on two 12-hour shifts, five days a week.

This has been embraced by some as substantial extra income, but heavily criticized by others due to being away from their families so often, as well as being a major source of mental and physical stress.

While the prison’s location is isolated, it is situated close to Louisville, which provides some access to amenities and services.

Federal Prisons

Prison Name	Location	Inmate Capacity	Security Level	Gender	Operator/ Manager
United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy	Martin County, KY	1,206	High	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland	Boyd County, KY	960	Low	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
Federal Correctional Institution, Manchester	Clay County, KY	1,192	Medium	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
United States Penitentiary, McCreary	McCreary County, KY	1,624	High	Male	Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy

The United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy, is a high-security federal prison for male inmates located in Martin County, Kentucky. The facility is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

The prison also has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates. The USP Big Sandy is located in eastern Kentucky, approximately 133 miles from Lexington, 140 miles from Frankfort, and 320 miles from Washington, DC.

The facility houses federal inmates who have been convicted of serious crimes and are serving sentences of varying lengths. The prison is known for its strict security measures and is staffed by highly trained corrections officers.

Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland

The Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland (FCI Ashland) is a low-security federal prison for male inmates located in the unincorporated area of Summit in Boyd County, Kentucky.

It is situated about 5 miles outside the city of Ashland and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility includes a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders. FCI Ashland is located approximately 125 miles east of Lexington, Kentucky.

The institution primarily houses inmates who have been convicted of non-violent crimes and have sentences of fewer than ten years. The prison offers various educational and vocational programs to its inmates, including adult continuing education and apprenticeship opportunities.

Federal Correctional Institution, Manchester

Federal Correctional Institution, Manchester is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates located in Clay County, Kentucky. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, under the United States Department of Justice.

The facility also has a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders. FCI Manchester is situated in eastern Kentucky, approximately 75 miles south of Lexington.

The prison can house up to 1,192 inmates and provides various educational, vocational, and recreational programs to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. The facility also offers mental health and medical services to ensure the well-being of its inmates.

United States Penitentiary, McCreary

The United States Penitentiary, McCreary is a high-security federal prison located in McCreary County, Kentucky. It houses male inmates and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which falls under the United States Department of Justice.

The facility also has a minimum-security satellite camp for male offenders. The prison’s name is derived from the county in which it is located, as there are no incorporated towns in the area.

The prison is situated approximately 88 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, 125 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, and 208 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. As a high-security facility, USP McCreary is designed to house some of the most dangerous offenders in the federal prison system.

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