Find KSP Release Records

KSP Release Destinations

Kentucky State Penitentiary is operated by the Kentucky Department of Corrections. A person confined there is a state prisoner, even when the conviction arose outside Lyon County. The Lyon County Sheriff does not control the prison record and does not maintain its release list. The release path belongs to KY DOC, the Kentucky Parole Board when parole is involved, and the authority that receives a person under any hold.

Leaving KSP can mean several things. Parole, mandatory reentry supervision, conditional discharge, or shock probation can place a person in the community while legal supervision continues. Minimum-expiration discharge can mark completion of the DOC sentence, though another case or hold may remain. A move to Western Kentucky Correctional Complex or another prison is a transfer, not a release. A detainer can send the person straight to another county, state, federal, or immigration authority.

Confirm a KSP Release

Start with the Kentucky Offender Online Lookup, known as KOOL. It covers Kentucky prisoners and people supervised by KY DOC. Search with a DOC number when available because it is more exact than a name. Otherwise, use a name with few extra filters, compare the photograph and identifiers, and open the matching record. Read the current location, offender status, sentence data, Projected Release Date, supervision fields, and parole table as separate facts.

A future date is not an actual exit. KOOL may show a sentence-based Projected Release Date, while its parole table can show a Proposed Release Date or Next Parole Eligibility Date. A recommendation or hearing also does not prove that the person walked out. Recent offender data can change, and KY DOC warns that information less than 120 days old may not yet be final.

1. Search KOOL by DOC number or name and verify the identity.
2. Read the location and custody or supervision status.
3. Open the KY DOC Daily Releases archive for the suspected date.
4. Confirm that “Released From” names KSP and read the full release type.
5. Use VINE for a custody-change check, then request the final DOC record if the screens differ.

The dated Daily Releases report is crucial. It lists the DOC number, name, type of release, and releasing institution. That “Released From” field ties the event to KSP. For a broader named-person path across local, state, and federal systems, use the Lyon County released-inmate search.

KSP Release Record Requests

Online fields can establish a useful trail, but the final release or discharge file is stronger when an exact date, legal status, or destination matters. KY DOC accepts written open-record requests at its official records page. Identify the person by full name and either date of birth or offender number. Name the existing records sought instead of asking the agency to decide whether someone is free.

A focused request may seek the final release or discharge record, actual release date and type, “Released From” facility, sentence-calculation sheet, credits awarded or forfeited, minimum and maximum expiration, final parole or mandatory-reentry order, final supervision discharge, or an identified offender photograph. Mail offender-record requests to Kentucky Department of Corrections, Division of Public Affairs, Attn: Open Records Coordinator, P.O. Box 2400, Frankfort, KY 40602. Fax requests may go to 502-564-9575, and email requests may go to correctionsopenrecords@ky.gov.

Release

A physical departure from the institution, sometimes into supervision or another authority.

Discharge

The end of a stated legal correctional status or sentence.

Detainer

A request from another authority to take or hold the person.

Projected release date

A sentence calculation that can change and is not proof of an actual exit.

KY DOC states charges of ten cents per paper page, one dollar for records placed on a CD plus postage, and about $2.50 for a USB drive plus postage. It sends a payment request first. The records page cites a five-business-day response framework under KRS 197.025. Fees and timing should be checked on the current agency page before filing.

KSP Records and Contact

Questions about prison operations or the correct institutional contact can begin with the official facility. Release proof still comes from KOOL, Daily Releases, VINE, or a written DOC record, not a phone statement alone. The facility number also connects readers with institution-based reentry and programming contacts listed for Region 1.

The Region 1 reentry page lists a KSP releasing reentry coordinator and programming contacts through the institution. Those contacts can help with release planning, but they are not a public release-confirmation database. For formal offender records, Offender Information Services is available at 502-564-2433; the listed offender-record open-records line is 502-782-2370.

VINE provides a separate notification channel. Kentucky says it can report the current institution for a person in custody and a release date for a person no longer reported in custody. Scheduled state-institution releases may prompt advance notice, while court, credit, or parole changes may generate notice only when the event occurs. VINE is best used to corroborate the DOC transaction, not replace it.

KSP History and Custody

Kentucky State Penitentiary opened in 1889. KY DOC identifies it as Kentucky's oldest prison, the state's only maximum-security facility, and the institution that houses Kentucky's death-row prisoners. These facts explain why a KSP search must follow a state-prison route. The prison is physically in Eddyville and Lyon County, but geographic location does not turn it into a county detention center.

Maximum-security classification also matters when interpreting a future date or release plan. A parole review, proposed date, or sentence projection can precede placement, conditions, calculations, and final processing. The actual transaction should appear in the dated Daily Releases material or final DOC record. If KSP releases the person to a detainer, follow the named receiving authority rather than calling the event a community return.

Kentucky sentence credits under KRS 197.045 can affect a projection. Parole and violent-offender rules can also shape eligibility. They do not create one universal date for every prisoner. The person-specific record and governing order control.

Lyon Facility Release Map

Lyon County has an unusual custody map. Two major state prisons operate within the county, yet the state lookup labels the local Lyon County Jail entry closed. KSP and Western Kentucky Correctional Complex releases are KY DOC matters even when the underlying conviction came from another place. By contrast, a person arrested locally may be boarded at a jail outside Lyon County.

This operator split prevents two common errors. The lack of a Sheriff roster does not prove a local arrestee was released, and KSP's presence in Eddyville does not make its prisoners county inmates. Match each person to the custodian first. Then use that custodian's release record. The WKCC release route is also statewide, while the closed local-jail entry requires the Sheriff to identify the receiving jail.

Note: Facility location describes where custody occurred; the operator and release type identify which office holds the controlling record.

Resolve KSP Record Conflicts

Official records can show different dates without being wrong. A parole hearing can come before a proposed date. A sentence projection can change with credits. A court or Board order can precede prison processing. KOOL may update after a dated release report. Preserve each label and date, then compare what each source actually proves.

If Daily Releases says “Mandatory Reentry Supervision – In State,” the supported wording is release from incarceration to mandatory reentry supervision. It is not final discharge. If it says “Discharged – Minimum/Detainer,” the minimum portion of the DOC sentence ended, but another authority may have taken custody. Request the release or transfer record to identify the destination before drawing a broader conclusion.

The strongest evidence of physical departure is the dated DOC release transaction or final institutional record. The legal basis is usually shown by a final court, Parole Board, or DOC order. KOOL helps with present status and supervision. VINE adds a notification-based check. Used together, the sources show both what happened at KSP and what status followed.