Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Knox County, Kentucky, has about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Knox County is held at the county jail, run by the Knox County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Knox County public records, Knox County arrest records, Knox County warrants, Knox County criminal records, Knox County court records, Kentucky arrest records and Kentucky inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Knox County
The county jail, run by the Knox County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Knox County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office at knoxsheriff.org (page title: Knox County Sheriff's Office), phone 888-868-4631, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 888-868-4631.
The Knox County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 310 people on an average day, up from about 110 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 294 beds, and it is running at 105 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Knox County has about 30,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 104 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Knox County Jail
The Knox County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Barbourville make the arrests that end in a booking in Knox County.
The Corbin Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Knox County, so its arrests are not broken out for Knox County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Barbourville's 546 for 2025 and the Knox County Sheriff's Office's 387 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Knox County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 933 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Knox County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Knox County serves the sentence in a facility of the Kentucky Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at kool.corrections.ky.gov/.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Knox County?
Ask the Knox County Sheriff's Office at 888-868-4631; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at knoxsheriff.org.
How many people are in the Knox County jail?
About 310 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 294 beds.
What is the phone number for the Knox County jail?
888-868-4631, the number on the page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Knox County go?
To a facility of the Kentucky Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at kool.corrections.ky.gov/.
Is this the official Knox County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.