Understanding Union County Releases
A release from Union County custody is not always a return home. Union County Jail closed in fall 2020, and the county now transports arrested people to Webster County Detention Center in Dixon. Webster records the physical exit. The Union County court file records the bond, dismissal, sentence, probation order, or other legal action that led to it. The Union jailer may also hold transport or administrative records. Those separate sources explain why one database rarely tells the whole story.
Someone may leave Webster on bond, after time served, through a dismissal or acquittal, under probation or shock probation, or after completing a local sentence. A state offender may leave confinement on parole or Mandatory Reentry Supervision. Another person may be moved to a Kentucky prison, another jail, federal custody, or immigration custody. Each event removes the name from a current roster, but only some are releases to the community. The release type determines which record should persist and which agency can verify it.
Union County Release Types
The language on a record matters. Bond ends the current jail stay while the criminal case continues. Time served or serve out means the calculated custody term was satisfied. Parole is conditional release from a state sentence, while probation is court-ordered supervision that may occur instead of or after confinement. Final discharge means the sentence and related supervision have ended. A transfer is not a community release at all.
| Exit type | Meaning | Best lasting record |
|---|---|---|
| Bond | Pretrial custody ends while the Union case continues. | Webster release record and Union court bond order or receipt |
| Dismissal or acquittal | The relevant charge ended, if no other hold applies. | Signed Union court order and Webster exit record |
| Time served or serve out | The applicable jail or state term was completed. | Jail record, or KDOC release and discharge records |
| Probation or shock probation | The court placed the person in the community under conditions. | Court order, KOOL when applicable, and District 13 |
| Parole or reentry supervision | Institutional custody ended but state supervision continues. | KOOL, VINE, Parole Board record, and District 13 |
| Transfer or detainer | Another jail, KDOC, BOP, or ICE assumes custody. | Webster transfer log and the receiving system |
| Final discharge | The state sentence and supervision are complete. | KDOC discharge certificate or Offender Information Services record |
- Time served
- A release after the legally credited custody term is satisfied.
- Parole
- Conditional community supervision before the state sentence expires.
- Probation
- Supervision ordered by a court, often instead of imprisonment.
- Detainer
- A request or legal basis for another authority to take or retain custody.
- Discharge
- The end of a sentence and any linked correctional supervision.
Union County Release Record Fields
There is no single statewide form called a Union County release record. The strongest local proof comes from existing Webster booking and custody records, paired with the Union court file. A focused request can seek the booking sheet, custody-status or release entry, release date and time, transfer destination if recorded, bond-processing entry, photograph, and custody log. Identity fields help avoid a false same-name match.
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name, birth date, aliases | Whether the record matches the intended person |
| Booking or offender number | A stable link among custody entries and later requests |
| Booking date and time | When Webster began the detention record |
| Release date and time | When the facility recorded the physical exit |
| Release or transfer type | Whether the exit was bond, order, time served, or movement to another custodian |
| Destination | The receiving agency or location, if Webster recorded one |
| Bond entry | Processing tied to a pretrial release |
| Charge and case number | The link back to the Union County court file |
| Booking photograph | Identity evidence from booking, not proof of release |
A court order and a jail timestamp may differ without either being wrong. The judge's order is the legal event, while staff must still check other holds and complete release processing. VINE and KOOL then have their own reporting clocks. Exact physical exit time should come from Webster, not from the time an order was signed or an alert arrived.
Request Union County Release Records
Send the request to the record creator. Webster County Detention Center is the correct custodian for its booking, physical release, transfer, bond-processing, photo, and custody-log records. The Union Circuit Court Clerk holds court orders and case files. Union Fiscal Court handles Union jailer transport and administrative records. KDOC handles state sentence calculations, release records, and discharge certificates.
- Identify the person with a full name, birth date, booking number, offender number, or case number.
- Give a bounded date range and name each existing record sought. Ask for electronic copies and segregable nonexempt portions.
- Use the Union Fiscal Court request channel for county-created transport or administrative material. Email is accepted at kim.nance@unioncountyky.gov.
- Ask the Union Circuit Court Clerk for the bond, dismissal, judgment, sentence, probation, or discharge order.
- Send state-record requests through the KDOC open-records process when a state sentence or supervision applied.
Union Fiscal Court lists noncommercial paper copies at ten cents per page, plus allowable media, processing, postage, and related costs. Its office accepts mail, hand delivery, or email and lists weekday hours. KDOC also lists ten cents per released page, plus stated media and postage charges. KRS 197.025 sets a five-business-day response framework for KDOC, but that deadline is for a response and does not promise that all production will finish within five days. No verified Webster release-record copy fee or retention period was found, so confirm those points with the detention center.
Union County Fiscal Court Records Custodian100 West Main Street, P.O. Box 60
Morganfield, KY 42437
Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except holidays
Union County Release Record Law
KRS 61.872 governs inspection of Kentucky public records and permits a reasonably specific signed request through accepted delivery channels. Fees and postage may apply. If a record is unavailable because it is stored or in use, the agency must explain and state when it should be available. KRS 61.878 contains exemptions, including personal privacy and some active investigative material. A public release entry does not make every page in a custody file public.
Juvenile, sealed, and expunged material needs special care. Kentucky's official expungement process can remove qualifying court, arrest, and jail material from public access. For an eligible felony, the waiting period generally runs from the later of sentence completion or successful probation or parole completion. Leaving Webster years earlier may not start that clock. Records containing lawfully expunged information are closed under KRS 197.025, and independently held copies may not vanish at the same time.
Find Released Union County Inmates
Begin with the custody system that actually held the person. Union County's closed jail does not publish a present roster. Webster's list is current-only, and no official Union or Webster recent-release feed was found. That absence makes a careful fallback chain more useful than a single name search.
- Check Webster Current Inmates. A current result indicates custody; a miss does not prove release.
- Call Webster at 270-639-7032 or the Union-published offender line at 270-639-7022. Ask whether the exit was release or transfer.
- Search Kentucky VINE by name or jail/DOC identifier and compare the reporting facility. Check both local and DOC records if duplicates appear.
- Read the Union court file for the order that explains the legal basis. CourtNet currently routes through login or registration, so the clerk is the dependable fallback.
- Use KOOL when state custody or supervision is possible. Read status before dates.
- Check dated KDOC Daily Releases PDFs for a state-system exit, including a qualified state inmate released from a local jail.
- Request Webster, Union, court, or KDOC records for durable proof.
- Use BOP, ICE, or USMS channels only when the facts point to federal or immigration custody.
The Released Last 24 Hours page applies that chain to same-day questions, while the home search path remains the best route for one named person. A just-signed court order, a missing roster name, and a database alert should be reconciled, not treated as interchangeable timestamps.
KDOC Search for Union Releases
The Kentucky Online Offender Lookup, known as KOOL, covers KDOC prisoners and people under KDOC community supervision. It does not cover every Webster detainee. Begin with a last name and first initial, because KOOL requires all entered terms to match. A photo-only filter can hide a valid record. Open the detail and read the top status before interpreting any date.
| Search field | Use | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Name or alias | Broad first pass | Compare identifiers for common names |
| DOC or PID number | Strong person match | Use the exact number |
| Supervision status | Find parole, probation, reentry, or absconded records | Supervision is not jail custody |
| Location and county | Narrow a current institution or supervising area | Transfers can change the value |
| Projected release range | Locate a displayed estimate | A forecast is not actual release |
| Escape or abscond dates | Find a supervision-status issue | Not proof of a new conviction |
KOOL can show Active Inmate, Parole, a probation category, Mandatory Reentry Supervision, or an absconded marker. It may also show institution start, minimum expiration or good-time date, parole eligibility, maximum expiration, supervision dates, convictions, and location. KDOC says updates occur several times daily and warns that newer information may not be final. Cross-check an alleged release with VINE, the Daily Releases archive, the supervising office, or a formal record.
Union County Recent Release Gaps
No official 24-hour, 72-hour, or other recent-release archive was found for Union County or Webster County Detention Center. Webster labels its public endpoint Current Inmates. It should never be renamed or described as a release list. No official update cadence, released-profile retention period, or sheriff mobile app with release data was verified either.
The KDOC Daily Releases archive is a useful but narrower source. Its dated PDFs can show state-system exits and sometimes a local jail as the release location. They do not list every pretrial bond, dismissal, or jail-only release from Webster. For a local exit, use Webster confirmation, VINE, the Union case, and a custody-record request.
Union County Post-Release Supervision
Parole, probation, and Mandatory Reentry Supervision are community statuses, not proof that a person remains in a jail. KOOL can display the status, begin and end dates, and supervising location. Union County is served locally by the KDOC District 13 satellite at 316 East Waverly Street in Morganfield, phone 270-389-2810. Public status can be checked there after a KOOL search, though KRS 439.510 protects probation and parole officer case information.
The Kentucky Parole Board decides parole for eligible state prisoners. A parole recommendation or proposed date is not completed release. Placement and certificate requirements must be met, and a parole-to-detainer decision can result in transfer to another authority. The Parole / Probation page explains the local verification route and the difference between supervision types.
Union Release Alerts and Locators
VINELink offers Kentucky custody checks and status-change registration for reporting county jails and state prisons. Search one person, compare the reporting facility and identifiers, and register both local and DOC records if duplicates exist. Kentucky guidance says a noncustody response supplies the release date. Phone access is available at 800-511-1670. Alerts can lag or be wrong, so confirm with Webster, KDOC, and the court.
Federal paths are separate. The BOP inmate locator covers BOP custody from 1982 onward and may show Released or Not in BOP Custody with a release date. That status does not rule out state, local, or supervised-release authority. ICE's locator can cover current and limited recent immigration custody, while the U.S. Marshals Service has no comparable public name locator.
The successful BOP search-method capture below shows the federal locator fields used for a federal record check.
This federal screen belongs only in a BOP inquiry; it cannot confirm a Webster County jail release.
Union Release or Current Custody
Choose a source by custody type, then verify what its status actually means. A live roster answers a present-custody question. A release record answers a past physical-exit question. A court file identifies the legal action. State and federal locators cover their own systems only.
| Situation | Best first source | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Current local detention | Webster Current Inmates and facility phone | A missing name does not prove community release |
| Past local detention | Webster release record, VINE, Union court | The court may not show the physical exit time |
| Current Kentucky prison custody | KOOL active record | A projected date is not an actual release |
| Kentucky community supervision | KOOL and District 13 | Legal control continues outside prison |
| State discharge | KDOC archive or discharge certificate | Former records may not remain public forever |
| Federal BOP exit | BOP locator | BOP release does not rule out another custodian |
| ICE transfer or release | ICE locator and releasing jail | A local roster removal may be a transfer |
Union County Release Facilities
Webster County Detention Center is the operating jail for people arrested in Union County. Community releases and custody transfers are processed there. A jail-only exit is checked through Webster, VINE, and the Union court file; a state-sentenced exit may also appear in KOOL and the KDOC Daily Releases archive.
Union County Jail is closed. Its Morganfield office, jailer, transport function, and administrative records remain relevant, but no current prisoner leaves that building. The county's official account says arrested people go to Webster and are brought back for court appearances.
Union Bond Release Across Counties
A Union charge is handled through the Union court while physical bond processing occurs at Webster. Webster's official bond page says cash only and exact change, with a $31 booking fee and $5 jail bond fee. Union's court page directs callers to the Circuit Clerk at 270-389-1811 when the bond is $10,000 or more. Confirm the bond type, amount, acceptable place, and timing before traveling.
Bond removes the person from pretrial jail custody but does not dispose of the Union case. The Webster release entry documents the exit; the Union clerk's file documents the order and later case events. This two-county trail is distinctive and explains why a bond payment record alone should not be treated as the final case outcome.
Union Release Records Use Two Counties
Webster in Dixon records physical custody and release. The Union clerk in Morganfield holds the bond, disposition, sentence, or discharge order. The Union jailer transports people between Webster and Union court. Those roles create a legal clock, a physical-processing clock, and a database-reporting clock. A short mismatch can reflect processing, another hold, transport, transfer, or update lag.
A durable answer pairs the records. Ask the clerk what order was entered, ask Webster what physical event followed, and then use VINE or KOOL as a status cross-check. CourtNet may help an authorized user, but its current route requires login or registration and should not replace the clerk's certified record.
Why Union County Jail Is Closed
Union County's official page says the aging jail closed in fall 2020 as costs rose. The elected jailer and an office at 120 South Court Street remained, along with the work of taking arrested people to Webster and returning them for Union court. That structure can confuse a search because the old jail still has a name, address, phone, and office hours.
No present-day inmate is released from that Morganfield building. Treat it as an administrative and transport contact. Webster is the physical custody custodian, while Union may hold transport or county correspondence records. The distinction prevents a wasted trip and keeps the release request with the office most likely to hold it.
Union Release Versus ICE Transfer
The Union County Sheriff's participation in ICE's 287(g) Task Force Model is not an ICE jail contract. ICE describes that model as limited delegated authority used during routine law-enforcement work under ICE oversight. It differs from jail enforcement and detention contracting. Neither the closed Union jail nor the partnership should be presented as an immigration detention center.
If ICE takes custody from Webster, removal from the local roster is a transfer rather than release to the community. An immigration detainer can ask a jail to notify ICE before release and hold a person for up to 48 additional hours so ICE may assume custody. Check the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, the releasing facility, and ICE's information line when that path is relevant.
The official ICE detainer explanation is captured below as a reminder that a local exit may lead to another custodian.
The detainer process must be verified for the individual case; roster removal alone cannot establish an ICE transfer.
Union Release and Expungement Timing
Release from jail and eligibility to seek expungement are different events. Kentucky's official felony process generally measures the waiting period from the later of sentence completion or successful completion of probation or parole. A person could have left Webster long before supervision ended, so the jail release date alone may not start the applicable clock.
A lawful order can also explain why an old court, jail, arrest, or corrections record is no longer public. For qualifying dismissed or acquitted cases, the official process includes automatic treatment under stated conditions. Exact eligibility, objections, fees, and exceptions should be checked through the Kentucky Court of Justice rather than inferred from a missing online result.
Note: A missing record may reflect expungement, retention practice, a spelling mismatch, or the fact that the wrong custody system was searched.