The Knox County Inmate Population
The Knox County inmate population is spread across two facilities that do very different jobs. Most local custody runs through the Knox County Jail at 152 South Kellogg Street in Galesburg, operated by the Knox County Sheriff's Office. That jail holds people before trial, people serving short county sentences, and detainees held under contract for the U.S. Marshals Service and neighboring counties. The other facility, Hill Correctional Center, is a state prison in Galesburg and is counted by the Illinois Department of Corrections, not the county.
Because of that split, no single number captures the whole Knox County inmate population. The county jail count rises and falls with arrests, bond and detention decisions, and case timing. When a person is convicted and sentenced to prison, that person leaves county custody and is counted instead in the state prison system. The figures below cite the agency and date for each number, since point-in-time counts move day to day and a snapshot is not an annual average.
Knox County Inmate Population Statistics
The clearest official numbers for the county jail come from the Illinois Department of Corrections annual compliance report, which inspects every county jail in the state. The 2024 report, based on a March 27, 2024 inspection, lists the jail's rated capacity and the count on the inspection date. The report does not publish an annual average daily population or an annual booking total for Knox County, so those figures are left out rather than estimated.
The same report breaks the capacity down by sex and lists how the beds are arranged. These are the sourced county jail figures that anchor the rest of the page.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated jail capacity | 128 (117 male, 11 female) | IDOC compliance report, 2024 |
| Inspection-date population | 44 (38 male, 6 female) | IDOC inspection, March 27, 2024 |
| Detention rooms | 96 single, 16 double | IDOC compliance report, 2024 |
| Year built | 2002 | IDOC compliance report, 2024 |
Knox County Inmate Population Trends
The state inspects the jail once a year, which gives a year-over-year snapshot rather than a running average. Between the 2023 and 2024 inspections, the inspection-date count fell sharply, from 83 people down to 44. Rated capacity also shifted slightly, from 131 in the 2023 report to 128 in 2024. The reports do not explain that capacity change, so it should not be read as construction or closure. A one-year drop in a single-day count is worth noting, but it is not proof of a lasting trend, because day-to-day numbers swing with arrests, court timing, and transfers.
| Inspection Date | Inspection-Date Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| March 27, 2024 | 44 | Capacity 128; about 34% full that day |
| March 29, 2023 | 83 | Capacity 131; about 63% full that day |
Note: These are single-day inspection counts from the state, not an annual average daily population for the Knox County jail.
Who Makes Up the Knox County Inmate Population
Official sources break the county jail count down by sex and by holding agency, but not by race, age, or charge level. On the 2024 inspection date the jail held 38 men and 6 women. The state inspection also confirms that the jail is not made up only of local defendants, which matters when a family member cannot find a record under a Knox County case.
- Pre-trial and sentenced - The jail holds both people awaiting trial and people serving short county sentences, though the inspection does not publish a split between the two.
- Male and female - The 2024 inspection counted 38 men and 6 women on a single day.
- Felony and misdemeanor - No official breakdown by charge level was published for the Knox County jail.
- Held for other agencies - The jail houses U.S. Marshals Service detainees and people held for neighboring jurisdictions, so some are federal or out-of-county cases.
Knox County Jail Capacity and Overcrowding
On its 2024 inspection date the jail was well under its rated capacity, holding 44 people against 128 beds, roughly 34 percent full. That leaves a wide margin on paper. The picture is more nuanced once the beds are split by classification. In the prior year's report, the female count of 14 was higher than the listed female capacity of 11, even though the total population was below the total bed count. That is a useful reminder that a jail can be tight in one housing category while the overall number looks low.
No active overcrowding lawsuit, consent decree, or new-construction plan for the Knox County Jail turned up in the official sources. The jail was built in 2002 and is inspected each year for compliance with Illinois county jail standards.
Laws Governing the Knox County Inmate Population
The data behind the Knox County inmate population is public because Illinois law makes it public, and several rules govern how it is collected and reported. The Freedom of Information Act sets the baseline that records held by public bodies are open unless an exemption applies. A separate arrest-records section spells out exactly what arrest information must be released, and the county jail standards rules require jails to keep booking records and file monthly population reports with the state. A death-in-custody law adds public reporting when someone dies in custody.
The screenshot below comes from the state agency that inspects Illinois county jails and collects their population data each year.
The Illinois Department of Corrections Jail and Detention Standards Unit explains the inspection and reporting duties on its jail and detention standards page.
That unit inspects all 92 county jails statewide and gathers monthly detainee counts, which is why a single Knox County inspection report can list capacity, population, and staffing in one place.
Key Statutes:
5 ILCS 140/2.15 - Arrest reports must be released no later than 72 hours after arrest, including name, charges, arrest time and location, the arresting agency, and a photograph when available.
20 Ill. Admin. Code Part 701 - County jail standards require jail administrators to keep booking records and submit monthly population reports to the state.
730 ILCS 210 - The Reporting of Deaths in Custody Act requires agencies to investigate and report deaths in custody.
Knox County and the State Prison Population
Once a Knox County defendant is convicted and sentenced to prison, that person leaves the county jail and is counted in the state system run by the Illinois Department of Corrections. Galesburg is home to one state prison, Hill Correctional Center, a medium-security facility for adult men. The state lists Hill's operational capacity at 1,812 and its population at 1,189 as of June 30, 2024, which dwarfs the county jail. People at Hill were convicted in courts all over Illinois, so a Hill resident is not necessarily a Knox County case, and a person sentenced in Knox County may be sent to a different prison. The right tool for sentenced prisoners is the state locator, not the county roster.
How to Search the Knox County Inmate Population
The Knox County Sheriff's Office runs the local roster through its official mobile app rather than a searchable web page. The sheriff's inmate roster page states plainly that the roster lives in the Knox County Sheriff Illinois app and provides store links and a QR code to install it. Because the public web does not expose the app's search fields, the smart approach is to start with the app and keep the fallback channels ready.
The roster page itself shows the install options rather than a live search box, which is the official starting point for current custody.
The sheriff's roster landing page points users to the mobile app.
After installing the app, the search runs from there, and the steps below cover what to do when the app does not return a result.
- Open the sheriff's roster page and install the Knox County Sheriff Illinois app from the official store links.
- Search the app by the person's last name and confirm the spelling.
- If the person is not listed but was just arrested, call the 24-hour sheriff line at 309-343-9151 or the jail at 309-345-3737.
- If the person was sentenced to prison, search the state locator instead of the county app.
- For copies of a booking record or photo, file a public-records request with the county.
Current Inmate Lookup in Knox County
For a person currently in the Knox County Jail, the sheriff's app is the official lookup. The public website does not publish a roster table, a refresh rate, or a list of search fields, so families should treat the app as the starting point and not assume a missing result means release. The table below shows what the public roster page actually offers, which is the route into the app rather than a set of search boxes.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile app roster | App-based lookup | n/a | The sheriff directs roster searches to the Knox County Sheriff Illinois app |
| Google Play link | Download link | n/a | Installs the official sheriff app on Android |
| Apple App Store link | Download link | n/a | Installs the official sheriff app on iOS |
| QR code | Install shortcut | n/a | Scannable link shown on the roster page |
When the app does not answer a question, the jail's phone lines and a records request fill the gap. Jail staff will confirm only limited information and will not discuss housing, medical care, discipline, or court outcomes with the public.
Past and Released Inmate Records
Finding someone who is no longer in custody works differently from a live lookup. The sheriff does not publish how long a released person stays visible in the app, so an empty result does not prove a release date. For a past booking, an arrest report, or a custody receive-and-release time, the reliable route is a public-records request to the county. The Knox County JustFOIA portal takes requests online, and the county also accepts them in person or in writing.
A request works best when it is specific. Name the person, the arrest or booking date, the arresting agency if known, and the exact record wanted, such as a booking sheet or custody times. If the person was sentenced and sent to prison, the state locator may still show the record, and once a sentence is fully complete the online record can drop off and become an archived request instead.
- Booking
- The intake process at the jail right after an arrest, when staff identify, search, screen, and photograph the person.
- Pretrial release
- Release from custody before a case is decided, under conditions a judge sets.
- Detainer
- Another agency's request to hold a person, which can block release even after a local case is settled.
- U.S. Marshals hold
- A federal custody hold; the Knox jail houses Marshals Service detainees under contract.
What a Knox County Inmate Record Shows
The exact fields the sheriff's app displays are not published, so the most reliable picture of a Knox County inmate record comes from Illinois arrest-records law. Under that law, basic arrest information is public and must be furnished when available, even if a particular detail is redacted for a juvenile case, an active investigation, or a safety concern. The table lists the categories the law covers.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name and identifiers | Name, age, and address when available under 5 ILCS 140/2.15 |
| Booking photo | A photograph when one is available; taken at intake under current law |
| Charges | The charge information recorded by the arresting agency |
| Arrest details | Time and location of the arrest and the arresting or investigating agency |
| Custody times | When the person was received, discharged, or transferred, if incarcerated |
| Bond and release | The jail publishes accepted bond-payment methods; release depends on the court |
Several record types are not ordinary public fields. Medical records, facility-security details, and juvenile records are treated as private or exempt, so they will not appear in a routine roster entry or a basic records request.
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
The most common search mistake is using the county roster for a sentenced prisoner, or the state locator for someone just arrested. Pre-trial detainees and short-sentence inmates sit in the county jail under the sheriff. Sentenced felons move into the state prison system, which keeps its own locator. The comparison below shows which system covers which part of the inmate population.
| County Jail | State Prison (IDOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pre-trial and short county sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | Knox County Sheriff's Office | Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) |
| Where to Look | Sheriff mobile app roster | IDOC Individual in Custody Search |
| Stays Listed | Retention not published; treat the app as current only | While incarcerated or on parole; archived after a completed sentence |
State and Federal Inmate Search
When a person has left the county jail, three other systems cover the rest of the picture. The state runs a free locator for sentenced prisoners, the federal Bureau of Prisons runs one for federal inmates, and immigration custody has a separate locator. The Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search lets the public search by last name, IDOC number, or birthdate, and its results name the facility where a person is housed.
The state locator page provides the search form and a built-in link to the federal locator, which underlines the custody-level split.
The state Individual in Custody Search form accepts the fields below.
The same page handles the most common state-prison lookups, and the field table shows how to enter a search.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do you want to search? | Radio group | Yes | Choose Last Name, IDOC Number, or Birthdate |
| Last Name | Text | Conditional | Examples: "Smith, John" or "Smith" |
| IDOC Number | Text | Conditional | Example: "K01234" |
| Birthdate | Text | Conditional | Example: "04-01-1965" |
| Find | Submit button | n/a | Runs the search |
For federal cases, the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator covers sentenced federal inmates from 1982 forward, though a person held by the U.S. Marshals before sentencing may not appear there yet. Immigration detainees show up in the ICE detainee locator. For release and case notifications, Illinois VINE sends alerts, though it is a notification tool rather than a records office.
Knox County Detention Facilities
Two facilities hold the people counted in and around the Knox County inmate population, and each uses a different lookup. The county jail is the local booking facility, and the state prison handles sentenced men from across Illinois.
- Knox County Jail - The local jail in Galesburg for pre-trial detainees, short county sentences, and contract holds for the Marshals Service and nearby counties.
- Hill Correctional Center - A medium-security state prison in Galesburg for sentenced adult men, searched through the state locator.
Knox County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Knox County inmate population?
The county jail held 44 people on its March 27, 2024 state inspection, against a rated capacity of 128. The figure is a single-day count, not an annual average. The nearby state prison, Hill Correctional Center, is far larger, with 1,189 people reported as of June 30, 2024 against an operational capacity of 1,812.
How do I search the Knox County inmate population?
For someone in the county jail, install the official Knox County Sheriff Illinois app, which the sheriff names as the roster channel. For a sentenced prisoner, use the Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search. Federal and immigration cases use the Bureau of Prisons and ICE locators.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
The county does not publish how long a released person stays in the app, so a missing result does not confirm release. For a past booking or arrest report, file a records request through the Knox County JustFOIA portal, naming the person, the date, and the record wanted.
Why is there no inmate roster on the sheriff's website?
The sheriff states only that the roster is found in the mobile app. The public web pages do not publish the roster's search fields, refresh rate, or whether booking photos appear, so the app is the official route and phone or records requests are the fallbacks.
Does the jail hold federal or out-of-county inmates?
Yes. The state inspection notes that the Knox County Jail houses detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service and for neighboring jurisdictions, so a person physically in the jail may be a federal or out-of-county case rather than a local one.
What is the difference between the jail and Hill Correctional Center?
The Knox County Jail is a local jail run by the sheriff for pre-trial and short-sentence custody. Hill Correctional Center is a state prison run by the Illinois Department of Corrections for sentenced adult men, and it uses the statewide locator rather than the county app.