Shelby County Detention Center Inmate Search

Search for an Inmate or Active Arrest Warrant in Shelby County

Kentucky inmate search

Shelby County Inmate Search

The Shelby County Detention Center at 1000 Bobby Waits Lane, Shelbyville, KY 40065 (502-633-2343) holds people charged in Shelby and Spencer counties. Check the jail roster first, then sign up for VINELink alerts and look up court dates on KYeCourts public access.

Who does the Shelby jail hold?

Mostly people facing Shelby or Spencer charges, plus those serving short county sentences and some state prisoners. The office line is 502-633-2343, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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How do visits work at the Shelby jail?

Every visit is remote now. Make an account on the jail's video visit website and book at least a day ahead. For help with the website, call 866-340-7879. See our visitation guide.

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How is someone bailed out of the Shelby jail?

Bond is paid in cash, and only at the clerk's office in the Shelby County Judicial Center, 401 Main Street, Suite 101, Shelbyville, KY 40065 (502-633-1287). Many people are released after the pretrial screen without paying anything. Our bail guide explains the steps.

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How do I send money or commissary?

The jail no longer takes money orders, certified checks, wire transfers or kiosk payments for inmate accounts. Commissary is ordered as an online care package; the helpline is 800-622-8166, weekdays 8 to 5 Central. Sales are final, and a package for someone who left is held 7 days. See our money guide and commissary guide.

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How do phone calls work?

Inmate phones go through one provider. You can buy prepaid time for your number online, at the lobby kiosk, or by calling 877-998-5678. The kiosk does not give change, and collect calls cannot reach cell phones. Calls are recorded. See our phone guide and messaging guide.

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Where do letters go?

Send personal letters to the inmate's name, Shelby County Detention Center, PO Box 76550, Highland Heights, KY 41076. That address is a scanning center, not the jail. Put your return address on the envelope. See our mail guide.

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How can an inmate get a lawyer?

People who qualify are assigned the Shelbyville Trial Office of the public defender (487 Frankfort Road, Suite 1, Shelbyville, KY 40065; 833-514-8984). The judge checks income at the first court date. Family can give the trial office the case number and ask which lawyer is assigned. More in our court guide.

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How do I check for a warrant?

For warrant questions, phone Shelby deputies at 502-633-4324. A lawyer can set up a planned surrender and ask the court what bond, if any, was written on the warrant.

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What happens to arrested teens?

Youths are kept away from adults. Any youth kept in custody gets a court hearing inside 48 hours, not counting weekends and holidays (KRS 610.265). The Department of Juvenile Justice (502-573-2738) picks a placement and reaches out to the family.

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Can I get a Shelby County mugshot?

Yes. Ask the jail at 1000 Bobby Waits Lane, Shelbyville, KY 40065 in writing under the Open Records Act for the mugshot. News media in Shelbyville can seek booking photos from the sheriff's office as well. ICE photos require the ICE records request form. Federal booking photos stay private with the Marshals, unless the person is a wanted fugitive.

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Are there federal inmates in the Shelby jail?

Federal prisoners are placed wherever the U.S. Marshals choose, and that may include Shelby. A federal arrestee first appears at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 330 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-223-5225, and a magistrate judge decides at a detention hearing whether they stay locked up. After sentencing, search the federal prison locator.

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What are the steps in a Shelby ICE hold?

  1. ICE sends Form I-247A to the jail.
  2. When the Shelby charges stop holding them, staff can keep the person up to 48 hours past release.
  3. ICE has to do the pickup during that time, or the jail lets them go.
  4. ICE frequently transfers people out of Kentucky to its own centers.
  5. Use the ICE finder to find them by name or A-number.
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How long does release take?

Paperwork takes some time once the bond clears or the release order arrives. Personal items come back at the door, along with the account balance minus allowed fees. Arrange a ride from Bobby Waits Lane and call 502-633-2343 for an update.

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How do I track a Shelby inmate moved to prison?

Corrections assigns a prison after intake. Some Class D inmates stay in county jails. Search by name in the KOOL lookup, or see our prisons in Kentucky.

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Where would someone arrested next door to Shelby be held?

Spencer arrests are brought to Bobby Waits Lane; the rest of the ring around Shelby uses other jails. Louisville arrests go to Louisville Metro Corrections, 502-574-8477. Oldham has the Oldham County Detention Center in La Grange, 502-222-3500. Franklin and Anderson arrests go to the Franklin County Regional Jail in Frankfort, 502-875-8782, and Henry arrests to the Carroll County Detention Center in Carrollton, 502-732-9499.

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Which police agencies serve Shelby County?

  • Shelbyville Police Department: 303 Main Street, Shelbyville, KY 40065, 502-633-2326
  • Simpsonville Police Department: 104 Old Veechdale Road, Simpsonville, KY 40067, station 502-722-1444; non-emergency dispatch 502-633-2323
  • Pleasureville Police Department (Pleasureville straddles the Henry and Shelby line): 502-878-5500
  • Shelby County Sheriff's Office: 502-633-4324
  • Kentucky State Police Post 12, 1250 Louisville Road, Frankfort, KY 40601, 502-227-2221

In an emergency, call 911.

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Shelby County Detention Center Inmate Services Information

Phone: 502-633-2343

Physical Address:
1000 Bobby Waits Lane
Shelbyville, KY 40065

Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Shelby County Detention Center-KY
PO Box 76550
Highlands Heights, KY 41076​​​

Mailing Address (legal mail or subscriptions):
Inmate's Full Name & Inmate ID#
Shelby County Detention Center
1000 Bobby Waits Lane
Shelbyville, KY 40065

Every year Shelby County law enforcement agencies arrest and detain 6,320 offenders, and maintain an average of 316 inmates (county-wide) in their custody on any given day.

The weekly turnover rate of inmates is approximately 55%, meaning that every week more than half of these inmates are released and then replaced with new offenders being booked into jail.

The charts below break down the men, women, races, ethnicities and the types of crimes that people are arrested and incarcerated for in both Shelby County and state prisons throughout the country. This information is compiled from local police and the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, as well as the state of Kentucky and the United States Department of Justice and Census Bureau.

If you are looking for a prisoner in Kentucky or Federal custody, click on the appropriate institution below.

If you are searching for an inmate being held in another county in Kentucky, click below.

STATE OF Kentucky COUNTY JAILS

If you are searching for a prisoner in a Kentucky State Prison click below.

Kentucky Prison Inmate Search

If you are searching for a United States Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate click below.

Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Search

For ICE Detainees (Immigration) being held at a detention facility in the United States, click below.

ICE Detainee Search

Shelby County Inmate Race & Ethnicity - 10/27/2026

Race Inmates % Total
White 142 65.44%
Black 24 11.06%
Hispanic or Latino 47 21.66%
American Indian/Native Alaskan 1 0.46%
Asian 1 0.46%
Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 1 0.46%
Other 1 0.46%
Total 217 100.0%
Demographic, Crime and Inmate data is compiled from public reports provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Corrections, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Census Bureau.

Shelby County Inmate Criminal Charges - 10/27/2026

(many inmates have multiple charges)

Charge Inmates % Total
Felony (3rd Degree) 49 22.58%
Felony (2rd Degree) 53 24.42%
Felony (1st Degree) 14 6.45%
State Jail Felony 10 4.61%
Felony (Uncategorized) 45 20.74%
Misdemeanor (Class A) 46 21.20%
Misdemeanor (Class C) 0 0.00%
Holds 0 0.00%
Uncategorized 0 0.00%
Demographic, Crime and Inmate data is compiled from public reports provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Corrections, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Census Bureau.

Shelby County Inmate Sex - 10/27/2026

Sex Inmates % Total
Male 189 87.10%
Female 28 12.90%
Total 217 100.0%
Demographic, Crime and Inmate data is compiled from public reports provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Corrections, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Census Bureau.

Shelby County Inmate Age - 10/27/2026

Age Inmates % Total
Under 18 3 1.38%
18-20 11 5.07%
21-24 23 10.60%
25-30 43 19.82%
31-35 40 18.43%
36-40 29 13.36%
41-45 25 11.52%
46-50 15 6.91%
51-55 12 5.53%
56-60 10 4.61%
61-65 3 1.38%
66-75 2 0.92%
76-85 1 0.46%
Total 217 100.0%
Demographic, Crime and Inmate data is compiled from public reports provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Corrections, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Census Bureau.
Demographic, Crime and Inmate data is compiled from public reports provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Corrections, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Census Bureau.

The Shelby County Detention Center serves the following cities and towns of Shelby County: Bagdad, Graefenburg, Shelbyville and Simpsonville.