The Montgomery County Inmate Population
The Montgomery County inmate population centers on the Montgomery County Jail / Department of Corrections in Independence. The jail is operated by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which lists Sheriff Ron Wade and Undersheriff Christopher V. Williams on its official homepage. The county directory and sheriff pages identify the same public-safety campus for the jail, sheriff, district court, and prosecutor. That local setup matters because a single arrest can create several records in nearby offices: the jail roster, the sheriff report, a bond or hold entry, a charging decision, and a court docket event.
For public lookup purposes, the Montgomery County inmate population is not one fixed list. The sheriff roster shows current county jail custody. Kansas Department of Corrections data covers people sentenced to state custody or post-incarceration supervision. Federal and immigration custody use separate systems. Local police arrests by Coffeyville PD, Independence PD, and other Montgomery County agencies usually become county jail records once the jail accepts the person for booking. The live count rises and falls as arrests, releases, court orders, warrants, probation holds, parole holds, and state transfers move people into and out of local custody.
Montgomery County Inmate Population Statistics
Montgomery County inmate population figures come from several sources, and each source counts something different. The sheriff roster is a live current-custody snapshot. The Prison Policy Initiative facility table uses a Census 2020 vintage correctional-facility count. Vera's county jail trends factsheet gives an average-day count for May 2022. State prison data belongs to KDOC, not the county jail. The figures below should be read with those source limits in mind, because a live roster count and an annual or census-style count are not interchangeable.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current roster count | 107 inmates observed | Montgomery County Sheriff jail roster, inspected June 13, 2026 |
| Alternate roster crawl | 112 inmates observed | HTTP redirected roster crawl from the same sheriff site, showing count volatility |
| Montgomery Co. Jail correctional-facility count | 147 prisoners | Prison Policy Initiative Census 2020 vintage table |
| Average day in May 2022 | 78 people incarcerated | Vera Montgomery County jail trends factsheet, May 2022 |
| County resident population | 30,459 estimate | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2024 estimate shown in research |
Montgomery County Inmate Population Trends
The clearest local trend point in the research comes from Vera, which reported that the May 2022 jail count was 33 percent lower than May 2019. The research did not locate a county-published annual booking report, average length-of-stay report, or rated-capacity dashboard. That means trend language should stay narrow. The data supports a drop from 2019 to 2022, a higher Census 2020 facility count, and a live 2026 roster snapshot that changed even between crawls.
| Year or Date | Population / Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | Exact count not extracted | Vera reported the May 2022 count was 33 percent lower than May 2019. |
| Census 2020 vintage | 147 | Prison Policy Initiative correctional-facility table for Montgomery Co. Jail. |
| May 2022 | 78 | Vera Montgomery County factsheet average-day figure. |
| June 13, 2026 | 107 | Observed sheriff roster count; a live custody snapshot, not an annual average. |
These figures also explain why one public number may not match another. A roster count is tied to who is in custody at the moment the page loads. A census-style count reflects a reporting source and year. A trend factsheet can use a specific month. When the Montgomery County inmate population is used for planning, research, or family lookup, the source and date are as important as the number itself.
Who Makes Up the Montgomery County Inmate Population
The sheriff roster does not publish an aggregate demographic dashboard, but each visible roster card includes age, sex, and race. It also shows the arresting agency, charge text, bond field, booking number, booking date and time, and a booking photograph. The practical Montgomery County inmate population includes pretrial detainees, people serving short local sentences, municipal or county arrestees, people held on warrants, and people with probation, parole, or other agency holds. The roster examples in the research include Montgomery County, Coffeyville PD, and Independence PD as arresting agencies.
- Pretrial and local custody: County jail records cover people booked after arrest and people held while bond, court, or release issues are pending.
- Sentenced state custody: People sentenced to KDOC custody move out of the county roster system and into KASPER.
- Warrants and holds: Roster charge text may show failure to appear, probation violations, parole violations, contempt, or another county's warrant.
- City police arrests: Coffeyville and Independence arrests can appear on the county jail roster after booking.
Because no local aggregate sex, race, offense-level, or length-of-stay table was located, page content should not invent those splits. The data that is public at the roster level is useful for individual lookup, but it is not the same as a countywide demographic report.
Montgomery County Jail Capacity and Overcrowding
The research did not locate an official Montgomery County rated capacity on the county or sheriff pages. The Facility Map notes a 147 local jail population or census count from the Prison Policy Initiative correctional-facility Census 2020 vintage table, but it also states that an official rated capacity was not found. No recent Kansas-specific Montgomery County jail lawsuit, consent decree, death-in-custody report, new construction plan, or closure notice was found in the official local sources reviewed.
That gap should be handled plainly. The public can cite the sheriff roster for a live count, the Vera factsheet for a May 2022 county trend point, and the PPI table for a Census 2020 facility count. Capacity, overcrowding, annual bookings, and average daily population reports should not be stated as official county facts unless Montgomery County or another reliable source publishes them.
Laws Governing the Montgomery County Inmate Population
Kansas public-record law supplies the main access framework for jail and booking information, while sheriff and jail statutes explain why the county jail receives people committed by different authorities. These laws do not mean every law-enforcement record must be released in full. They do explain why a public roster, written records request, and court-record pathway can all exist at the same time.
Key Statutes:
K.S.A. 45-215 sets the Kansas Open Records Act access framework, under which public records are generally open unless another law permits or requires closure.
K.S.A. 45-217 defines public records and public agencies, with annotations tied to law-enforcement records, jail books, offense reports, and mug shots.
K.S.A. 19-1930 requires the sheriff or jailer to receive and safely keep prisoners committed by U.S., city, county, or KDOC authority.
K.S.A. 22-2410 covers expungement of arrest records, which can matter after eligible dismissed or resolved cases.
The Kansas Attorney General's KORA FAQ also states that the front page of a standard offense report is open, while mug shots and standard arrest reports may be discretionarily closed under K.S.A. 45-221(a). Montgomery County still publishes current booking photos on its roster, but that local display does not guarantee release of every older booking photo by request.
Montgomery County and the State Prison Population
State prison custody is separate from the Montgomery County inmate population shown on the local jail roster. The KASPER offender search belongs to the Kansas Department of Corrections and covers offenders sentenced to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections since 1980, including people currently incarcerated, under post-incarceration supervision, and discharged from a sentence. KDOC says KASPER is not a full criminal-history report and is updated each working day.
No KDOC adult correctional facility is physically located in Montgomery County. KDOC's facility map lists adult prisons in cities such as El Dorado, Hutchinson, Lansing, Topeka, Wichita, and Winfield, not Montgomery County. The same map does list a parole office in Independence, so a person may have KDOC supervision contact in the county even when prison custody is searched statewide. Male state residents begin reception at El Dorado Correctional Facility's RDU, while female residents go to Topeka Correctional Facility for intake.
How to Search the Montgomery County Inmate Population
The official first stop is the Montgomery County jail roster on the sheriff's site. It is a free public roster with no login observed in the research. The roster searches by name and booking number, then displays inmate cards with the fields needed to confirm a current booking. If a person is absent from the roster, the next step is not a commercial search site. The better chain is jail custody confirmation, sheriff records or bond information, court records, KASPER, and then federal or immigration locators when those systems fit the case.
The roster screenshot captured in the manifest shows the search fields, current inmate cards, and booking photographs. The source is the sheriff's official jail roster page.
The image supports the roster workflow because the public search boxes and inmate-card layout are visible on the same official page.
- Open the sheriff roster and search by name first. If the spelling is uncertain, try a last name or an alternate spelling.
- Use the Booking Number field when a booking number is known. Research examples use a B plus year and zero-padded number format.
- Compare the card fields, including name, age, sex, race, arresting agency, charge text, bond, and booking date.
- Call the Sheriff's Office for bond, release time, charges, or court-date questions, because the jail page sends those topics there.
- Check KASPER, Kansas Case Search, BOP, or ICE if the person has moved out of county jail custody.
Current Inmate Lookup in Montgomery County
Current lookup is strongest when the person is still in the Montgomery County Jail / Department of Corrections. The roster cards display a booking photograph, booking number, charges, bond field, arresting agency, booking date and time, age, sex, and race. The research did not find housing unit, warrant number, judge, projected release date, or full physical description on sampled public cards. Bond entries should be verified before any release attempt because a zero or blank-style public value can reflect several different custody conditions.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Unspecified | Searches by inmate name; no wildcard rule was published. |
| Booking Number | Text | Unspecified | Observed examples include B26000000174 and B25000001047. |
| Pagination | Links | Not applicable | Page numbers and a next-page arrow were visible during research. |
For court charges after booking, use Kansas Case Search and the 14th Judicial District resources rather than treating the jail roster as the final charge record. Formal charges may be amended, reduced, dismissed, or replaced after prosecutor review.
Past Montgomery County Inmate Records
The sheriff roster appears current-custody oriented, and the research did not locate an official historical booking archive or retention schedule for released roster cards. For older booking records, the sheriff's forms page directs requesters to download the open-records request form, print it, complete it, and bring it to the Sheriff's Office with valid identification. The same forms page lists a $5 charge for providing a report.
Released or transferred custody can also leave records in other systems. A person sentenced to Kansas prison custody may appear in KASPER. A formal criminal case may appear through Kansas Case Search or the 14th Judicial District docket calendar. A broader Kansas criminal-history check is handled through the KBI/Kansas.gov criminal-history search, which the research says includes felony and misdemeanor arrests, prosecution data, court dispositions, and state confinement data. That is different from a live jail roster lookup.
What a Montgomery County Inmate Record Shows
A Montgomery County roster card is compact but useful. It usually gives the core booking facts that a family member, attorney, employer conducting a lawful non-FCRA check, or court watcher might need to identify the right person. The same card does not replace a court file, and it does not prove a conviction. It is a custody and booking record.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Last, first, and middle name when available. |
| Mugshot | Public booking image displayed beside the roster card. |
| Booking Number | Local booking identifier, observed as B plus two-digit year and a zero-padded number. |
| Charges | Kansas statute numbers, plain-language charge text, and occasional warrant or hold language. |
| Bond | A numeric bond field that should be confirmed with the Sheriff's Office before action. |
| Arresting Agency | The agency that made or lodged the arrest, such as Montgomery County, Coffeyville PD, or Independence PD. |
| Date, Age, Sex, Race | Booking date/time and basic demographic fields shown on sampled cards. |
County Jail vs State Prison Search
Many lookup errors happen when a user searches the wrong custody system. The county roster is for current Montgomery County Jail custody. KASPER is for Kansas state corrections custody or supervision. BOP and ICE each cover a separate federal custody universe. The name may be the same, but the legal authority is different.
| Question | County Jail | State Prison or Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, short local sentences, municipal/county arrestees, warrants, and holds. | People sentenced to KDOC custody or under covered KDOC supervision. |
| Run by | Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. | Kansas Department of Corrections. |
| Where to look | Official Montgomery County jail roster. | KASPER offender population search. |
| Record type | Booking and current custody record. | Sentence, facility, movement, supervision, and release information. |
State and Federal Inmate Search
KASPER should be used when the person has been sentenced to KDOC custody, transferred from the jail after sentencing, or placed under covered post-incarceration supervision. KDOC says profiles may include name, KDOC registration number, physical description, conviction details, county and case number, anticipated release date, housing location, movement dates, parole office, custody level, and discipline. The KDOC disclaimer warns that KASPER is not a complete criminal history and should not be used as the sole basis for arrest.
Federal custody is searched through the BOP inmate locator for federal inmates from 1982 to present. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System handles immigration custody searches by A-number or biographical information, and USA.gov notes that it covers ICE custody and CBP custody lasting more than 48 hours. The U.S. Marshals Service District of Kansas may hold federal pretrial prisoners in contract facilities, so county roster status depends on whether the person is physically booked into Montgomery County custody.
Montgomery County Detention Facilities
The Facility Map identifies one dedicated Montgomery County detention facility for this project. No separate county work-release facility, state prison, federal BOP institution, or ICE detention center was located in Montgomery County. City police departments in Coffeyville, Independence, Caney, and Cherryvale can make arrests, but the public sources reviewed did not show standalone municipal jail pages.
- Montgomery County Jail / Department of Corrections - the county jail in Independence for pretrial detainees, local sentences, warrants, holds, and people booked after Montgomery County law-enforcement arrests.
Montgomery County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Montgomery County inmate population?
The sheriff roster showed 107 inmates when inspected on June 13, 2026, while another crawl showed 112. The Prison Policy Initiative Census 2020 vintage table listed 147 prisoners for Montgomery Co. Jail, and Vera reported 78 people incarcerated on an average day in May 2022. Each figure uses a different source and date.
How do I search the Montgomery County inmate population?
Start with the official sheriff jail roster and search by name or booking number. If the person is not listed, call the jail for custody confirmation, call the Sheriff's Office for bond or release questions, check Kansas Case Search for filed charges, and use KASPER, BOP, or ICE when transfer or non-county custody is likely.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
The research did not find a public Montgomery County archive for released roster cards. Older booking, arrest, or incident records should be requested through the sheriff's written open-records form with valid ID and the listed report fee. Court records and KASPER may preserve later case or sentence information.
Does the Montgomery County roster show mugshots?
Yes. Current roster cards display booking photos. Kansas law still lets agencies close or redact some mug shots and standard arrest reports under KORA exceptions, so current online display does not mean every older photo request will be granted.