USP Big Sandy Inmate Search
USP Big Sandy is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Martin County. BOP classifies it as a high-security United States penitentiary with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The population is male federal sentenced offenders, with the camp serving minimum-security male federal inmates. It is not the Martin County jail, and it is not a Kentucky Department of Corrections state prison.
That custody type controls every search choice. A person booked after a local Martin County arrest is searched first through Big Sandy Regional Detention Center and JailTracker. A person serving a Kentucky state sentence is searched through KOOL. A person serving a federal sentence at USP Big Sandy is searched through the BOP Inmate Locator. Federal pretrial detainees in U.S. Marshals custody can be moved through contract beds or federal facilities, but there is no Martin County-specific public USMS roster in the research sources.
USP Big Sandy Population
BOP public facility data for USP Big Sandy was modified June 4, 2026 and reported 1,312 total inmates. The same data split the count into 1,218 at the main penitentiary and 94 at the satellite camp. Those figures are facility population counts from BOP, not county jail capacity figures and not a count of Martin County residents. The federal population at Inez is much larger than the regional jail local count found in Census-vintage sources.
Because USP Big Sandy is a federal prison, its count rises and falls based on BOP designations, federal sentencing, transfers, program placement, discipline, release-date calculations, and camp eligibility. BOP also warns that federal release dates can change, including when credits are recalculated under federal law. For a specific person, use the locator result and then confirm time-sensitive visiting or release questions with the facility.
| Unit | Population | Source Date |
|---|---|---|
| USP Big Sandy total | 1,312 | BOP data modified June 4, 2026 |
| Main penitentiary | 1,218 | BOP data modified June 4, 2026 |
| Minimum-security camp | 94 | BOP data modified June 4, 2026 |
The BOP USP Big Sandy facility page is the source for facility classification, contact links, visiting resources, and population display.
The BOP facility page is the starting point for institution-specific notices, handbooks, PREA links, and population updates.
Find USP Big Sandy Inmates
Use the BOP Inmate Locator for USP Big Sandy, not JailTracker and not KOOL. BOP covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. Search by number is strongest when the BOP register number is known. Search by name can also work, but common names should be narrowed with race, sex, and age when available. BOP results can show name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location.
The federal locator is different from a county jail roster. It does not function as a public booking mugshot gallery, and it does not show local county bond data. It also does not mean a person has a Martin County case just because the prison is located in Inez. Federal inmates at USP Big Sandy may come from many districts. If a person has just been arrested in Martin County, start with the regional jail before using BOP.
- Open the BOP Inmate Locator and choose number search if a register, DCDC, FBI, or INS number is known.
- Use the required BOP register number format when searching by BOP number.
- For name search, enter first and last name, then narrow with race, sex, or age if needed.
- Review the location field and confirm it says USP Big Sandy or the related camp before using prison contact rules.
- Call USP Big Sandy before travel or urgent action because federal visiting and release information can change.
| Lookup System | Custody Covered | Use for USP Big Sandy? |
|---|---|---|
| BOP Inmate Locator | Federal sentenced inmates from 1982-present | Yes, this is the correct search path. |
| Big Sandy JailTracker | Regional jail custody for local counties | No, use only for county and regional jail custody. |
| KY DOC KOOL | Kentucky state offenders and DOC custody | No, use for state prisoners, not BOP inmates. |
| ICE ODLS | ICE detainees | No, unless the person is in ICE custody. |
The BOP Inmate Locator provides the federal search form used for USP Big Sandy inmate lookup.
The search form reinforces the federal distinction because it accepts federal numbers and federal identity fields rather than local jail booking fields.
USP Big Sandy Contact
USP Big Sandy has separate addresses for staff mail, inmate mail, and the physical facility. The physical address helps with location, shipping, and facility identity, while BOP mail rules use post office boxes and exact inmate identity lines. Families should avoid sending inmate funds to the facility address because BOP uses a processing center for mailed funds. Wrong routing can delay or return mail or money.
USP Big Sandy
1197 Airport Road
Inez, KY 41224
606-433-2400
Fax: 606-433-2577
Email: BSY-ExecAssistant-S@bop.gov
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Mid-Atlantic Region
Eastern District of Kentucky
High-security penitentiary with adjacent minimum-security camp.
USP Big Sandy Visiting
BOP's USP Big Sandy page links to the national visiting overview and warns that schedules can change for Special Housing Unit restrictions, weather, security needs, and warden decisions. The captured BOP endpoint did not list visit days in the visitDays field, so the safe rule is to call the facility before making travel plans. Federal prison visiting also depends on approval status, identification, dress rules, behavior rules, and institution conditions.
Visitors should not assume the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center video visitation schedule applies to USP Big Sandy. The regional jail and the federal prison have similar names but different operators, different custody groups, and different visiting systems. A person held at the USP or camp follows BOP visiting policy. A person booked in the regional jail follows the jail's video visitation process.
| Facility Area | Published Visit Days | Action Before Travel |
|---|---|---|
| Main USP | Not captured in BOP visitDays data | Call 606-433-2400 and confirm current schedule. |
| Satellite camp | Not captured in BOP visitDays data | Ask whether camp visiting differs from main institution visiting. |
| SHU or restricted status | Subject to limits | Confirm eligibility before driving to Inez. |
Note: USP Big Sandy visiting information should be confirmed by phone because BOP schedules and restrictions can change without much notice.
USP Big Sandy Mail
Federal inmate mail must use the inmate's name and register number. The BOP source lists mail for the main USP as Inmate Name and Register Number, USP Big Sandy, U.S. Penitentiary, P.O. Box 2068, Inez, KY 41224. Camp mail uses the same post office box with the Satellite Camp line. Staff mail uses P.O. Box 2067. Those distinctions matter because federal mail screening and routing are tied to BOP mail rules.
Money is separate from normal inmate mail. BOP warns not to send money to the facility address. Mailed funds go through the BOP processing center in Des Moines, Iowa, while other deposit methods follow national BOP rules. The research did not capture a USP Big Sandy-specific commissary fee table, so do not invent deposit fees or local percentages. Use the national BOP funds process and verify any current rule with BOP.
| Service | Address or Rule | Important Detail |
|---|---|---|
| USP inmate mail | Inmate Name & Register Number, USP Big Sandy, U.S. Penitentiary, P.O. Box 2068, Inez, KY 41224 | Use the register number on all inmate mail. |
| Camp inmate mail | Inmate Name & Register Number, USP Big Sandy, Satellite Camp, P.O. Box 2068, Inez, KY 41224 | Add the Satellite Camp line for camp inmates. |
| Staff mail | P.O. Box 2067, Inez, KY 41224 | Use for staff correspondence, not inmate mail. |
| Money | BOP processing center for mailed funds | Do not send money to the USP Big Sandy facility address. |
Federal Custody at Big Sandy
USP Big Sandy does not operate like a street-arrest booking jail. People housed there are federal sentenced offenders designated by BOP, and the adjacent camp houses minimum-security male federal inmates. Intake is a federal prison admission and classification process, not the Martin County arrest and booking process used at the regional jail. A federal prison record may show a projected release date, but BOP warns that release dates can change.
There are no public federal mugshots like a county jail roster. BOP's locator is designed to identify federal custody and location, not to publish county booking photos. If the custody question involves an arrest in Martin County, first check Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. If the question involves a state sentence, check KOOL. If the question involves ICE custody, use ICE ODLS. If the question involves a federal sentence at USP Big Sandy, use BOP.
- BOP
- The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the agency that operates USP Big Sandy.
- Register Number
- The federal inmate number used for BOP lookup, mail, and identity confirmation.
- Satellite Camp
- A lower-security camp adjacent to the main federal penitentiary.
- Detainer
- A hold or notice from another agency that can affect transfer or release decisions.
USP Big Sandy Records
Federal prison records sit in a different lane from Martin County court and jail records. BOP is the source for federal custody location and prison information. Federal court records, federal pretrial detention, and U.S. Marshals custody are separate topics. Research found U.S. Marshals Eastern District of Kentucky contacts, including Lexington headquarters and an Ashland office, but no Martin County-specific USMS public roster. That means the BOP locator remains the main public tool once a person is a sentenced federal inmate.
For Kentucky state prisoners connected to a Martin County case, use Kentucky DOC KOOL. KOOL is not a federal prison locator. For current county jail inmates, use Big Sandy Regional Detention Center. For a broader county-level custody overview, the Martin County inmate population page separates regional jail custody, state custody, federal custody, and ICE search channels so users do not mix the systems.
About USP Big Sandy
USP Big Sandy gives Martin County an unusually large federal correctional presence. It is physically in Inez, but its inmate population is federal and can include people designated from outside Kentucky. BOP materials for the facility include national resources for visiting, communication, mail, funds, PREA reporting, and inmate handbooks. Those BOP resources are more reliable for federal facility rules than county jail pages, county court pages, or state DOC pages.
The facility's location in Martin County can confuse searches because the name Big Sandy also appears in Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, the local regional jail used for Martin County arrests. The two facilities are not interchangeable. The regional detention center is in Paintsville and uses JailTracker. USP Big Sandy is in Inez and uses BOP. Mail, visiting, money, and lookup rules should always match the facility where the person is actually held.