The Keith County Inmate Population
The local Keith County inmate population is held at Keith County Jail, 103 East 5th Street in Ogallala. The jail is operated by the Keith County Sheriff's Office and serves adults 18 and over from Keith, Perkins, and Arthur Counties. It covers the local custody stage: booking, pretrial detention, bondable and nonbondable holds, court holds, short local sentences, fugitive holds, and transfer preparation.
The county's detention map is compact. No separate city jail, work-release annex, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention facility was identified in official sources for Keith County. People arrested by Ogallala Police Department, the Keith County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Perkins County Sheriff's Office, or another lodging agency may appear on the Keith County roster if they are physically held at the jail. Sentenced state prisoners move to the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services system, and federal or immigration custody is searched through separate federal tools.
The official jail page in the manifest is the best starting image for the local facility context: Keith County's jail page shows the address, phone, facility photo, capacity note, and roster navigation.
That official page anchors the population count to a single local jail rather than a network of county facilities.
Keith County Inmate Population Statistics
Keith County publishes two closely related capacity descriptions. The jail page says the current jail has 14 single-cell spaces plus two holding cells, while the jail-environment page describes 16 individual cell occupations across four pods, including two holding cells. The JDS roster inspected on June 20, 2026 at 20:54 showed 5 current inmates: 4 male, 1 female, and 0 other.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current roster count | 5 total: 4 male, 1 female, 0 other | JDS Keith roster, Run Date/Time 06/20/2026 - 20:54 |
| Current jail capacity | 14 single-cell capacity plus two holding cells | Keith County Jail page, inspected 2026 |
| Individual cell occupation capacity | 16 including two holding cells | Keith County Jail Environment page, inspected 2026 |
| 2019 annual admissions | 517 | 2020 Jail Needs Assessment ALOS table |
| 2019 total inmate-days | 14,410 | 2020 Jail Needs Assessment |
| 2019 average length of stay | 27.9 days | 2020 Jail Needs Assessment |
Keith County Inmate Population Trends
The 2020 Jail Needs Assessment shows a local pressure pattern that is not simply about more bookings. Admissions were 643 in 2010, 649 in 2011, and 517 in 2019, but inmate-days rose to 14,410 in 2019 and average length of stay increased to 27.9 days. That means longer custody periods, court holds, bond outcomes, and transfer timing can strain a small jail even when admissions are below earlier highs.
| Year | Admissions | Inmate-Days | ALOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 643 | 4,974 | 7.7 days |
| 2013 | 471 | 5,087 | 10.8 days |
| 2016 | 517 | 6,941 | 13.4 days |
| 2018 | 559 | 10,195 | 18.2 days |
| 2019 | 517 | 14,410 | 27.9 days |
The county's Justice Center materials also connect short-term population surges to Lake McConaughy. The project page says the jail population can increase by 50% during peak summer periods, which explains why weekend or seasonal demand matters in a small rural facility.
The manifest includes a local planning screenshot from Keith County's New Justice Center Project page, where the county discusses long-term jail sizing and future expansion.
Those planning materials are relevant because they explain why current roster counts, seasonal peaks, and future bed projections are treated as one population-management issue.
Who Makes Up the Keith County Inmate Population
The current public roster provides a male/female/other count but does not publish race, age-band, felony/misdemeanor, or pretrial/sentenced breakdowns. The jail's official pages do identify the service area and custody type: adults 18 and over, held for Keith, Perkins, and Arthur Counties, with arresting-agency entries that can include Keith County SO, Ogallala PD, Nebraska State Patrol, and Perkins County SO.
- Adult custody only - Keith County Jail holds adults 18 and over.
- Male/female roster sections - the June 20, 2026 roster showed 4 males, 1 female, and 0 other.
- Service counties - the jail serves Keith, Perkins, and Arthur Counties.
- Other custody systems - NDCS, BOP, U.S. Marshals, and ICE records are outside the county roster when custody transfers away from the jail.
Keith County Jail Capacity and Overcrowding
Keith County's current jail was built in 1978. The official jail page describes it as not the most modern facility but compliant with Nebraska Jail Standards and PREA. Housing is arranged in Orange, Blue, Yellow, and Green pods, with day rooms, book carts, communal showers, two holding cells, no inmate television, and no inmate internet access.
The county's planning materials treat capacity as a live issue. The Justice Center page discusses a future 72-bed facility sized to handle Keith County inmates until 2040. It also says a 54-bed alternative would need expansion or transports beginning in 2031. No official DOJ investigation, consent decree, or Keith County Jail lawsuit was located in the research, so the population issue should be described as planning and capacity pressure rather than litigation.
| Projection Year | Baseline ADP Projection | Beds Needed Under 80% Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 41 | 51 |
| 2026 | 43 | 54 |
| 2030 | 51 | 64 |
| 2035 | 62 | 77 |
| 2040 | 72 | 91 |
Laws Governing the Keith County Inmate Population
Nebraska public-records law is the access framework for booking records, roster information, and written requests to the sheriff or jail. Jail operations are also shaped by state jail standards and county-jail regulation statutes. These laws do not make every record public in every situation, but they explain why a current roster exists, why written denials matter, and why security, medical, victim, juvenile, and investigatory exceptions can limit release.
Key Statutes:
Neb. Rev. Stat. 84-712 - gives access to public records during office hours and requires a response, cost estimate, denial, or explanation within four business days after actual receipt of a written request.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 84-712.05 - lists records that may be withheld, including certain law-enforcement investigatory, security, medical, and victim-identifying records.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 83-4,124 - creates Nebraska's policy that criminal detention facilities must meet minimum construction, maintenance, and operation standards through the Jail Standards Board.
Neb. Rev. Stat. 47-101 - directs jail rules on cleanliness, classification, bedding, diet, medical aid, instruction, counsel access, discipline, and other prisoner-welfare subjects.
Keith County and the State Prison Population
No Nebraska Department of Correctional Services prison is physically located in Keith County. When a Keith County defendant is sentenced to state prison, the lookup path changes from the JDS county roster to NDCS Incarceration Records. The NDCS locator requires a last name or DCS ID, with first name optional, and uses hCaptcha before web submission.
State prison records are a separate record class. They can show sentenced-custody information controlled by NDCS, while the Keith County roster shows current local jail custody. Victim notification can also run through Nebraska Victims of Crime Alert Portal when available.
How to Search the Keith County Inmate Population
The official current-custody path is the Keith County Current Inmate Roster hosted by JDS Inc. It is a live roster display rather than a name-search form. No login, fee, registration, search box, dropdown, or pagination control was visible in the research capture.
Use the person's name spelling if known, but expect to scan the roster rows rather than type into a search field. If the person is not listed, call the jail at (308) 284-4772 before assuming release or transfer.
- Open the current roster directly or from the Keith County Jail page.
- Check the Run Date/Time near the top before relying on the result.
- Scan the male and female sections for the person's name.
- Read across the row for JailId, photo, charges, total bail, SID, book date, attorney field, next court date, arresting agency, and release date.
- If the person is sentenced to state custody or no longer appears locally, use NDCS, court records, BOP, ICE, or a public-records request depending on the custody path.
The roster image from the manifest comes from the JDS Keith County current inmate roster and shows the current-list format, run time, row fields, photos, and population totals.
That format is why the practical search step is scanning the displayed list, then confirming by phone when timing, spelling, release, or transfer is uncertain.
Current Inmate Lookup in Keith County
The current roster covers people physically held in Keith County Jail. The row itself functions as the public record because no separate detail-profile click-through was visible in text capture. The run time is the best visible freshness clue, but the county does not publish a guaranteed update interval.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search form | None visible | Not applicable | The roster displays current inmates directly; scan the list. |
| Run Date/Time | System timestamp | Not applicable | Use it to judge freshness before relying on custody status. |
| Section headings | Roster sections | Not applicable | Males and Females sections, followed by count totals. |
| Buttons or export | None visible | Not applicable | No visible search, reset, export, or pagination controls. |
Past and Released Inmate Records
The JDS roster is a current custody list, so released inmates, transferred inmates, recently booked people before a visible update, and people listed under different spellings may not appear. For historical booking records, mugshots, or jail log information, contact Keith County Jail or the Sheriff's Office through the published official channels and make a Nebraska public-records request when a copy is needed.
A written request should identify the person, booking date, JailId if known, and the record type requested. Under Nebraska law, the county may provide access, estimate costs, deny the request with written reasons, or explain the time needed. Court outcomes after arrest are searched separately through Nebraska JUSTICE, the Multi-Court Case Calendar, Keith County Court, or the District Court Clerk.
What a Keith County Inmate Record Shows
A Keith County roster row can show local jail identity, booking, charge, bail, photo, and court-related fields. It does not show every detail people often expect, such as height, weight, age, detailed statutes, housing pod, judge, warrant number, bond type, or release projection in the visible public output.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| JailId | Local Keith County jail identifier assigned to the roster entry. |
| Photo | Booking-photo column shown on the current roster. |
| Name | Inmate name in last, first, middle or initial style. |
| Charges | Booking or hold labels entered for jail custody. |
| Total Bail | Numeric bail amount, which should still be verified by calling the jail. |
| SID# | Nebraska state identification number when available. |
| Book Date | Date booked into Keith County Jail. |
| Arresting Agency | Agency associated with the booking or hold entry. |
| Release Date | Usually blank for a person still shown in current custody. |
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
Keith County Jail and NDCS do not cover the same custody stage. The county roster is the first stop for pretrial and local jail custody. NDCS is the correct system after a person is sentenced to Nebraska state prison and transferred into state correctional custody.
| County Jail | State Prison (DOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Adults in local custody, including pretrial detainees, holds, and local sentenced inmates | Sentenced prisoners committed to Nebraska state custody |
| Run By | Keith County Sheriff's Office | Nebraska Department of Correctional Services |
| Where to Look | Keith County Current Inmate Roster | NDCS Incarceration Records |
| Stays Listed | Current local custody only; released or transferred people may disappear | State custody records controlled by NDCS, not the sheriff |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Use state and federal fallbacks only when the person is outside Keith County Jail custody or the arrest intersects with another authority. NDCS handles Nebraska sentenced-prison custody. BOP Inmate Locator covers federal sentenced prisoners from 1982 to present. U.S. Marshals federal pretrial detainees may be held in contract facilities and are not always searchable through BOP. ICE Online Detainee Locator is for people currently in ICE custody or CBP custody for more than 48 hours.
No BOP prison, ICE detention facility, or U.S. Marshals detention facility was located in Keith County. ICE lists McCook Detention Center in Nebraska, but it is outside Keith County and should not be treated as a Keith County facility.
The state locator screenshot in the manifest comes from NDCS Incarceration Records, the correct lookup when a Keith County case results in state prison custody.
Because NDCS records are statewide correctional records, they should not be read as a continuation of the Keith County jail roster.
For federal sentenced custody, the successful manifest capture is from the BOP Inmate Locator, which is separate from both Keith County Jail and NDCS.
Use BOP only for federal sentenced prisoners; it will not confirm a routine Keith County booking or a local jail hold.
Keith County Detention Facilities
Keith County has one facility in the local detention map. The jail is the physical site for the county inmate population; state prison, federal custody, and immigration detention are fallback systems rather than Keith County facilities.
- Keith County Jail - county jail/local adult detention operated by the Keith County Sheriff's Office for adults 18 and over, serving Keith, Perkins, and Arthur Counties.
Keith County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Keith County inmate population?
The current roster inspected on June 20, 2026 at 20:54 showed 5 people in custody: 4 male, 1 female, and 0 other. For capacity, Keith County publishes 14 single-cell spaces plus two holding cells on the jail page, while the jail-environment page describes 16 individual cell occupations including two holding cells.
How do I search the Keith County inmate population?
Start with the JDS Keith County Current Inmate Roster. It is a public current list, not a search form, so scan the displayed rows and check the Run Date/Time. If a person is not listed, call Keith County Jail at (308) 284-4772 before assuming release, transfer, or no booking.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
The public roster is built for current custody. For a released or older booking, contact the jail or sheriff and request the record under Nebraska public-records law. For formal charges and court outcomes, search Nebraska JUSTICE, the Multi-Court Case Calendar, Keith County Court, or the Keith County District Court Clerk.