The Ellsworth County Inmate Population
The Ellsworth County inmate population has an unusual shape for a small Kansas county. The local jail side is small and is run by the Ellsworth County Sheriff's Office. It covers recent arrests, pretrial detainees, warrant arrests, people waiting for first appearance, short local sentences, and people waiting on transfer decisions. The state prison side is much larger because Ellsworth Correctional Facility sits inside the county and is run by the Kansas Department of Corrections, not the sheriff. Those residents are sentenced Kansas offenders, so they do not belong in a county jail roster search.
That split matters for every Ellsworth County inmate population question. A deputy, Ellsworth police officer, Kansas Highway Patrol trooper, or other local agency may bring a new arrest to the county jail if the jail accepts the booking and no medical, capacity, federal, or out-of-county issue changes the placement. After court action, some people bond out, some remain in the jail, and some are later moved to KDOC. A person at Ellsworth Correctional Facility has already moved into the state system, so the Kansas Adult Supervised Population Electronic Repository is the better search tool.
Ellsworth County Inmate Population Statistics
Official county research gives a clear set of local jail numbers. The sheriff's page says the jail was finished with 12 beds and a detox cell, then six metal bunks were added so fewer people had to be housed outside Ellsworth County. That brought the jail to 19 total beds. The same official sheriff source reports an average of 14 inmates in custody per day. Using those two sheriff figures, the local jail runs at about 74 percent of bed capacity on an average day, though a small jail can feel full quickly when classification, gender separation, medical needs, or court transport affect housing.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth County Jail original capacity | 12 beds plus detox cell | Official sheriff page, accessed 2026-06-13 |
| Ellsworth County Jail current capacity | 19 beds after added bunks | Official sheriff page, accessed 2026-06-13 |
| Ellsworth County Jail average daily custody | 14 inmates | Official sheriff page, accessed 2026-06-13 |
| Local jail occupancy estimate | About 74 percent | Calculated from sheriff capacity and average custody figures |
| ECF Central Unit housing | 832 multi-custody residents | KDOC ECF overview |
| ECF East Unit housing | 95 minimum-custody residents | KDOC ECF overview |
Ellsworth County Inmate Population Trends
The local jail trend found in official sources is a capacity trend, not a full multi-year admissions chart. The sheriff page gives the 1981 jail build, the later bed increase, and the current average custody count. It does not publish annual booking totals, demographic tables, length-of-stay data, or a year-by-year average daily population file. KDOC history gives a fuller timeline for the state prison in Ellsworth County, including the original site selection, later expansion, and East Unit opening.
| Year or Date | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 12 beds plus detox cell | County jail finished, per sheriff page |
| Date not stated | 19 total jail beds | Six metal bunks added to reduce outside housing |
| Accessed 2026-06-13 | 14 average inmates | Only local average daily custody count found in an official source |
| 1987 | 252 medium-custody beds planned | Ellsworth selected for the state prison site |
| 2012 | 95 East Unit beds | Minimum-custody East Unit opened, per KDOC history |
Ellsworth County Jail Capacity
The Ellsworth County inmate population at the local jail must be read against the small size of the building. A 19-bed jail with an average of 14 people in custody can still face tight placement limits because jail staff must separate people by sex, safety risk, medical needs, detox needs, juvenile restrictions, warrants, and court transport timing. The sheriff's official page does not describe pod layouts, housing units, video rooms, or intake hours. It does confirm the detox cell, the original 12-bed design, the added bunks, and the average daily custody count.
No official source reviewed identified a recent Ellsworth County jail consent decree, death-in-custody reform, closure plan, or new jail construction project. That is important because the population page should not imply a crisis, expansion plan, or litigation pattern that was not found in the research. The reliable local finding is more precise: the county publishes basic capacity and average custody figures, but not a broader jail-population dashboard.
Ellsworth County Inmate Population Laws
Kansas public-records law frames many Ellsworth County inmate population records, but it does not make every custody detail instantly public online. The Kansas Open Records Act names the open-records chapter. K.S.A. 45-216 states the public policy that records are open unless another law provides otherwise. K.S.A. 45-218 covers inspection and refusal rules, while K.S.A. 45-220 addresses agency procedures and custodian duties.
Key Kansas rules:
K.S.A. 45-221 lists records that are not required to be disclosed, with annotations tied to law-enforcement records, jail books, standard offense reports, and mug shots.
K.S.A. 19-1919 requires humane treatment of prisoners and reasonable visits by parents and friends, while keeping juveniles separate from adult criminals.
K.S.A. 19-1935 requires a Kansas Bureau of Investigation inquiry after the death of a person in city or county custody.
Ellsworth County State Prison Population
The state prison population is the largest custody presence in Ellsworth County. Ellsworth Correctional Facility is a KDOC prison at 1607 State St. KDOC describes a 68.6-acre site with a Central Unit for 832 multi-custody adult residents and an East Unit for 95 minimum-custody residents. The KDOC history page reports 915 total operating capacity after the East Unit opened. These are sentenced state-prison residents, not recent county arrestees.
KDOC's statewide figures also show why the state locator cannot be treated as a local jail roster. The KDOC homepage snapshot cited in the research listed 9,849 people in 10,674 adult correctional-facility capacity statewide as of 2025-09-18. A person sentenced from Ellsworth County may enter that statewide system after court and classification. Once that happens, county jail phone calls, county jail visitation, and county VINE custody notes are no longer the right tools for daily prison status.
Search Ellsworth County Inmates
No official Ellsworth County online jail roster was located on the county site, sheriff page, county navigation, or Kansas Sheriffs' Association listing. That finding changes the search flow. A current local custody check starts with the sheriff's office, then moves to in-person confirmation or a Kansas Open Records Act request if a written booking record, jail book entry, arrest report, or booking photo is needed. Kansas VINE can add custody notifications for county-jail offenders.
The Ellsworth County inmate records process should also account for state and federal custody. KASPER handles sentenced Kansas offenders and supervised people. BOP handles many federal prisoners from 1982 forward. ICE ODLS handles immigration custody when the user has an A-number or enough biographical information. These channels do not replace the sheriff for a new local arrest.
- Call the Ellsworth County Sheriff's Office at 785-472-4416 with the person's full name, date of birth, and likely arrest date.
- Ask whether the person is currently in county jail custody, whether bond has been set, and whether any hold or detainer affects release.
- For written booking records, ask how the sheriff accepts Kansas Open Records Act requests and what copy or redaction fees may apply.
- Use Kansas VINELink for county-jail custody notifications if the person is covered by VINE.
- Use KASPER when the person has been sentenced to KDOC custody or is under KDOC supervision.
Ellsworth County Roster Fields
Because no official public Ellsworth County jail roster was found, there are no county online search fields to render for the local jail. That absence should not be blurred into a generic roster table. The available official online field inventory belongs to KASPER, the statewide KDOC locator. KASPER is useful for sentenced prison custody and supervision, but it is not a booking tool for a recent arrest at the county jail.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Photos | Radio | Optional | Yes or No choice on the KDOC search entry |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | KASPER accepts one or more search criteria |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Useful when a last name is common |
| KDOC Number | Text | Optional | Best field when the exact KDOC registration number is known |
| Birth Date | Text or Date | Optional | Advanced search field, with example format shown by KDOC |
| Conviction County | Dropdown | Optional | Includes Ellsworth and other Kansas counties |
| reCAPTCHA Submit | Button | Required | KASPER uses Google reCAPTCHA before results load |
Ellsworth County Inmate Record Details
The county research did not locate a public Ellsworth jail profile screen, so county record fields should be described as request targets rather than guaranteed online fields. Jail staff may be able to confirm current custody, bond or hold status, a booking number, and basic booking information by phone or through a records request. Filed charges, hearings, warrants, and final dispositions move through Ellsworth District Court and Kansas CaseSearch, not a jail profile.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, including identity checks, property handling, screening, and a booking photo if policy requires one.
- Detainer
- A hold from another county, state, federal, immigration, probation, or parole authority that can block release.
- First appearance
- An early court hearing where a judge addresses bond, charges, counsel, and the next case date.
- KASPER
- Kansas Adult Supervised Population Electronic Repository, the KDOC locator for sentenced and supervised offenders.
Ellsworth County Jail vs Prison
The most common Ellsworth County inmate population error is using the wrong system. The sheriff's jail is for the local custody stage. Ellsworth Correctional Facility is for sentenced KDOC residents. Federal and immigration custody can move outside the county even when the arrest began in Kansas. A current custody question should follow the person's legal status, not just the last place where family heard about an arrest.
| Custody Type | Who Runs It | Best Search Channel | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| County jail | Ellsworth County Sheriff's Office | Call 785-472-4416 or request records | Recent arrests, pretrial custody, warrants, short local sentences |
| State prison | Kansas Department of Corrections | KASPER | Sentenced Kansas offenders and supervised people |
| Federal custody | BOP or U.S. Marshals | BOP inmate locator or District of Kansas contacts | Federal inmates and defendants in federal custody |
| Immigration custody | ICE | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Detainees searched by A-number or biographical details |
Ellsworth County Detention Facilities
Two facilities drive the Ellsworth County inmate population search. The first is the local county jail next to the courthouse block. The second is the KDOC state prison on State Street. Their names sound local, but their records systems and custody populations are different.
- Ellsworth County Jail holds local arrestees, pretrial detainees, people held on warrants, sentenced misdemeanants, and people pending transfer.
- Ellsworth Correctional Facility holds sentenced adult Kansas DOC residents in Central Unit and East Unit housing.
The county research found no separate city jail, regional jail, BOP prison, or ICE detention facility physically located in Ellsworth County. City arrests and highway arrests may still route to the county jail, while sentenced prison custody uses KDOC systems.
Ellsworth County Source Screens
The official sheriff page is the source for the jail capacity and average daily custody figures used in the Ellsworth County inmate population tables.
The screenshot reinforces the local point: Ellsworth County publishes jail capacity and average custody numbers, but not an online jail roster.
The KDOC overview for Ellsworth Correctional Facility supplies the Central Unit and East Unit housing figures for the state prison side of the county's custody profile.
That state source keeps the prison count separate from the sheriff's jail count, which is essential for accurate lookup routing.
Ellsworth County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the local Ellsworth County jail population? The official sheriff page reports an average of 14 inmates in custody per day and 19 total beds after added bunks. That is the local jail number, not the KDOC prison population.
Is there an official Ellsworth County jail roster online? No official county online jail roster was located in the research. Call the sheriff at 785-472-4416, ask in person, or request a jail record under KORA.
Why does Ellsworth County have a large prison count? Ellsworth Correctional Facility is a KDOC prison inside the county. Its residents are sentenced Kansas offenders, so KASPER is the correct lookup path.
Can Kansas VINE find every inmate? Kansas VINE is for county-jail custody notifications. It is not the KDOC KASPER locator and does not replace the sheriff for record requests.
Where are court charges found after arrest? Court charges are found through Ellsworth District Court and Kansas CaseSearch, with courthouse terminals as a fallback when online access is limited.
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