The Kenton County Detention Center is located in Covington, which is in Kenton County Kentucky. The Kenton County Detention Center, like most local jails in Kentucky, is not run by a sheriff or police department. Instead, it is run by the Kenton County Jailer. The current Kenton County Jailer is Terry Carl.
The position of jailer is unique to Kentucky. Kentucky, which is a commonwealth, is the only one of all 50 states that has a designated elected County Jailer position. This position, which is bi-partisan, is specific to running the jail for the county. The jailer is elected independently of the Sheriff or other officials for the county.
In Kentucky, the jailer has very specific duties, which are outlined in the Ky. Rev. State §§ 71.00 and 446.00. The jailer must be sworn peace officer, and deputies working under the jailer are law enforcement peace officers that have all of the powers of officers in other areas. This is another distinct difference between Kentucky and some other states, where law enforcement officers working in jails may not have to meet the same standards as officers in other law enforcement positions.
The Kenton County Detention Center is a short-term, full-service jail facility. It holds male and female inmates. Many of the inmates in the facility are pre-trial detainees. A pre-trial detainee is someone who has been arrested and charged with a crime, and is in jail, either awaiting trial or awaiting a bail hearing and release until trial. Pre-trial detainees pose an interesting dilemma for jail facilities. Because they have not been convicted of a crime, the purpose of jail is to ensure that they appear at trial, not to provide punishment for a crime. Therefore, local jail facilities should not be punitive. On the other hand, because local jail facilities deal with constantly changing populations of inmates accused of a wide variety of crimes, they must be secure facilities, which are not only able to protect staff, but also other inmates, from incoming inmates who may be dangerous to themselves or others. Therefore, the Kenton County Detention Center must have thorough intake screening procedures and the ability to provide high-security facilities for inmates who are deemed to be high-risk.
Kenton County Detention Center
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41017
The Kenton County Jail mailing address for non-inmate mail is:
Kenton County Detention Center
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41017
To send inmate mail via the U.S. Postal Service, you send it to the following address:
Inmate Name
Kenton County Detention Center
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41017
The Kenton County Detention Center has one of the strictest inmate mail policies found in a local jail environment. In order to restrict the risk of contraband entering the facility, the Kenton County Detention Center no longer allows inmates to receive personal written correspondence in envelopes. Instead, all mail sent to inmates must be on post cards. The jail’s complete policy is outlined below, and can be found at the inmate mail section of their website:
Beginning June 12, 2016, the Kenton County Detention Center stopped allowing written letters to come in the mail.
The only type of personal mail allowed is postal post cards. These are post cards purchased at the post office, which are plain and non-embellished. They are also pre-stamped.
Postcards must have the sender’s full name and return address; these must be handwritten, because address labels are not allowed.
The writing on the postcards must be in pen or pencil; no markers, crayons, or other writing instruments may be used.
To send photos to the inmate, they must have a stamp on the back and be mailed like a postcard, but free from writing other than the inmate’s address and the sender’s return address. An inmate may only have a total of six 4x6 photos for their stay. All photos are logged.
Any hand written letters that come into the facility will be returned to sender.
The envelope policy does not apply to practicing attorneys, public officials, approved clergy, the Courts, or the Department of Corrections. However, if any handwritten personal letters are found in those materials, they will be destroyed and the legal mail delivered.
Inmates are prohibited from corresponding with inmates at the Kenton County Detention Center or at any other facility.
To mail money orders for commissary, do not address the envelope to the inmate; instead, address the envelope to Aramark c/o Kenton County Detention Center.
The main contact number for the Kenton County Detention Center is 859-363-2400.
Kenton County Detention Center uses Jail Tracker to maintain a list of its current inmates. This list is presented alphabetically by the inmate’s last name as a default, but you can also search by inmate first name or the booking date. Clicking on the page returns a full list of inmates at the facility. You can click on an inmate’s name for more information about that inmate. The information in an inmate record includes: inmate’s full name, booking date, projected release date if applicable, height, weight, birth date, hair color, eye color, race, gender, arresting officer, arresting agency, arrest date, and the charges against the inmate. In addition, the inmate’s record displays a booking photo/ mugshot of the inmate.
Kenton County Detention Center does not have a specifically dedicated mugshot list, but it does use Jail Tracker to maintain a list of its current inmates. Once you locate an inmate on the list, you can click on that inmate’s record for additional information. The information you find includes: a mugshot/booking photo, as well as the inmate’s full name, booking date, projected release date if applicable, height, weight, birth date, hair color, eye color, race, gender, arresting officer, arresting agency, arrest date, and the charges against the inmate.
Inmates are entitled to one visit per week, so visitors must choose between weekday or weekend day for visitation. No school age children will be permitted during weekday visits.
Weekday Visitation Schedule
For all inmates, except those in dorms 102 and 107, is alphabetical by inmate last name:
Last Name A-F, Tuesday sign up from 8:00am to 10:00am
Last Name G-M, Wednesday sign up from 8:00am to 10:00am
Last Name N-S, Thursday sign up from 8:00am to 10:00am
Last Name T-z, Friday sign up from 8:00am to 10:00 am
If the inmate you want to visit is in the Jail Intervention for Women Program and participates on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, then visitation is Friday 8:00am to 10:00am or during a designated weekend time.
Weekend Visitation Schedule
For all inmates, except those in dorms 102 and 107, is alphabetical by inmate last name:
Last Name A-G, Saturday sign up from 8:00am to 10:30am
Last Name H-M, Saturday sign up from 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Last Name N-Z, Sunday sign up from 8:00am to 12:00pm
Inmates in Dorms 102 and 107
Inmates in dorms 102 and 107 may be part of the jail work program. If they are not part of the jail work program, then they follow the normal visitation schedule. If they are, then they follow the special jail work program schedule, which is
Monday 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Saturday 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Sunday 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Visitation Rules:
Inmates get one visit per week.
No school aged children may visit during weekday visitations.
Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
All persons visiting must have a valid photo identification, which can include: state i.d. card, driver’s license, school photo identification card, U.S. military identification card, valid passport/visa, valid alien registration card.
The Kenton County Detention Center no longer posts a dress code for visitors. However, most jail facilities require that visitors dress in a conservative manner and jailers have complete discretion to deny a visit. To ensure that you are able to visit, you will probably want to comply with the following guidelines for dress:
All visitors should be dressed in a modest and conservative manner that does not reveal genitals, buttocks, or breasts;
No halter tops or spaghetti strap tops;
All females must wear a bra;
No see through clothing;
No clothing with holes or tears that would reveal the genitals, buttocks, or breasts;
No sagging pants or shorts- all pants and shorts must be worn on the waistline;
No pajama pants or tops;
No low cut blouses;
Shorts and skirts must be worn no more than 2 inches above the knee;
All splits on skirts must start no more than 2 inches above the knees;
All visitors must wear actual shoes- no slippers or house shoes; and
No gang-affiliated clothing, hats, or shoes.
In addition, jail guidelines usually limit what visitors may bring into the facility. Generally, anything that could be dangerous is prohibited, which means:
No knives, sharp objects, lighters, or tobacco products allowed;
No electronic devices;
No food, gum, or drinks;
No purses, fanny packs, pens, pencils, paper, or mail.
Visitors may be subject to a background check prior to visitation; a prior criminal record may prevent you from visiting. If this is a concern, you should contact the jail to see if you will be allowed to visit, and, if not, if you can make special arrangements to get visitation privileges.
Finally, intoxicated persons will not be permitted to visit.
The Kenton County Detention Center also works with iweb to allow remote video visitation. You must set up an account and follow the rules at the iweb website in order to engage in remote visitation.
Kenton County Detention Center inmates cannot receive incoming calls, but can place outgoing collect calls and calls using phone cards during approved hours.
You may purchase prepaid phone cards for an inmate in the lobby of the Kenton County Detention Center between 8:00am and 4:30pm Monday-Friday, and during visitation on Saturday and Sunday. Cards purchased before 2:00pm will be delivered to an inmate after dinner the same day; cards purchased after that time will be delivered after dinner the next night. Cards are available in $5, $10, and $20 denominations.
These cards are only valid at the Kenton County Detention Center. Cards that are completely unused may be refunded, but there are no refunds on partially used cards.
For a refund on an unused phone card, simply mail the card back to Combined Public Communications with your name, address and telephone number. A Combined Public Communications representative will mail a refund to you. Mail to:
Combined Public Communications
P.O. Box 76573
Highland Heights, KY 41076
You may also purchase an inmate phone card online at: https://www.inmatesales.com/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2f
If you need to reach an inmate in an emergency, you can contact the jail. The jail staff may require proof of the emergency and will then determine if the emergency warrants emergency contact with the inmate.
Kenton County Corrections Center provides commissary services for inmates using TouchPay. Commissary allows inmates to purchase items that are not issued by the jail.
To put money on an inmate’s account, you can visit the TouchPay website at: http://touchpayonline.com/.
In Kenton County, Kentucky, you can find out if an inmate is eligible for bail, and, if so, the amount of an inmate’s bond by looking at the inmate’s record.
In Kentucky, the general requirements to get someone out of jail by posting a bond are as follows:
You may post a cash bond, which is equal to the full amount of the bond ordered.
To post a surety bond, the District Court Clerk, unless the Court orders otherwise, accepts only the following as surety on a bond a surety company (bail bonds company) approved by the United States Department of the Treasury.
However, Kentucky also allows for something called a personal surety bond, which can be secured by real estate. To pay a bond using a personal surety secured by real estate, you must meet the following conditions: the real estate must be located in Kentucky; the real estate must have an unencumbered value of at least 100% of the bond amount; the real estate must not be owned by a corporation or partnership; if the property is held jointly, all joint tenants must have executed the bond.
Bonds can be posted at the following locations:
Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm:
Circuit Court Clerk’s Office
230 Madison Ave
Covington, KY 41011
Monday-Friday after 4:30pm and on the weekends:
Kenton County Detention Center
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41017
If you need the services of a bail bondsman, Kenton County will not recommend any particular bondsman. However, you can only use those bondsmen that are recognized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. You can find them in the yellow pages or you may be able to secure bond services though a criminal defense attorney.
The Kenton County Detention Center is a local jail facility located in Covington, Kenton County Kentucky. It is located at 3000 Decker Crane Lane, Covington, KY 41017. Kentucky differs from other states in that jailers are a bipartisan elected position, and jails are controlled by these jailers rather than sheriff’s or police departments. The Kenton County Detention Center houses federal, state, and local detainees. It is both a pre-trial detention facility and a post-conviction facility for sentenced inmates. The Kenton County Detention Center is managed by Jailer Terry Carl, and its phone number is 859-363-2400.
| Total Confined | 403 |
|---|---|
| Full-Time Prison Employees | 86 |
| Part-Time Prison Employees | 2 |
Warden or Supervisor: Jailer Terry Carl Daily Inmate Count: 631 Total Capacity: 605 Security Level(s): medium
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41011
Phone Number(s):
859-392-1701
Fax Number:
859-392-1744
Email Address:
[email protected] [email protected]
3000 Decker Crane Lane
Covington, KY 41011
Other Prisons in Kentucky:
United States Penitentiary Big Sandy | United States Penitentiary McCreary | Western Kentucky Correctional Complex | Ross-Cash Center | Roederer Correctional Complex | Northpoint Training Center | Luther Luckett Correctional Complex | Bell County Forestry Camp | Blackburn Correctional Complex | Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex