Daviess Co Detention in Owensboro, KY is a county detention facility operated by the Daviess County Sheriff's Office. Most people here are awaiting trial or sentencing - this is not a prison, and most stays are measured in days or months, not years. If someone you care about was just booked here, you have questions. Start with the one that matters most right now.
If you are not certain they are there, the fastest way to confirm is the Daviess County inmate search or InmateAid's inmate locator, which searches across Kentucky facilities by name.
Booking takes time - sometimes several hours after arrest. If the search comes back empty, wait a few hours and try again before assuming they have been transferred somewhere else. You can also pull their arrest record and booking details to confirm the charges and facility assignment. For the most direct answer, call Daviess Co Detention at 270-685-8466.
Most people booked at Daviess Co Detention appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours. At that first appearance the judge sets the bail amount - or denies bail - based on the charges, the person's history, and whether they are considered a flight risk.
If bail is set, your family member can be released by paying the full amount or by using a bail bondsman, who typically charges 10 percent of the total as a non-refundable fee. If bail is denied or the amount is unaffordable, they remain at Daviess Co Detention until the case resolves. InmateAid's bail and bond guide walks through every option including what to do if you cannot afford a bondsman.
Right after arrest, your family member goes through intake at Daviess Co Detention - identity verification, medical screening, property inventory, and classification. Classification places them in a housing unit based on the charges, prior record, and intake behavior. It is not a punishment. It is how the facility manages a population that ranges from people picked up on minor warrants to individuals facing serious charges.
For the first 24 to 48 hours, phone access and visitation are typically unavailable while booking completes. Once they are assigned to a housing unit, those channels open up. InmateAid's what happens in jail guide covers the full intake process step by step so you know what to expect.
Your family member calls you - you cannot call them. Calls from Daviess Co Detention go through Combined Public Communications (CPC) and all calls are recorded except attorney calls. Set up a Combined Public Communications (CPC) account before the first call so the connection goes through without delay.
Phone contact is more important than most people realize going into this. A regular call - even a short one - makes a measurable difference in how someone holds up inside. Do not let the setup friction stop you. Visit InmateAid's jail calls page for step-by-step account setup, current rate information, and tips for keeping funds available.
Visitation hours at Daviess Co Detention are set by the facility and can change without much notice. Before making the trip, call 270-685-8466 to confirm current hours, any advance registration requirements, and what you are allowed to bring.
The most common mistake families make is showing up without confirming first - and that results in a wasted trip and a missed visit for your family member. General rules across most Kentucky county jails: dress conservatively, avoid colors that resemble inmate uniforms, leave your phone in your car, and bring valid government-issued ID. Children may be permitted with specific requirements depending on the facility. InmateAid's visitation guide has a full checklist you can run through before you go.
Visitation Information - Daviess County Detention Center
Visitor's Handbook
Facility Contacts
ICE Officer (Chicago detained unit): CHI-ERO-Detained@ice.dhs.gov or 872-351-3990 Booking and legal scheduling email: booking@daviesscojail.org Booking phone for legal scheduling: 270-685-8466 ext. 273 or ext. 274 Legal fax: 270-685-8468 Inmate Sales for phone account funding: 702-829-3001 or www.InmateSales.com
Visiting Format
There are no in-person public visits available at this facility. All friend and family visiting is done by video.
Video visits and chats can be set up online through CorrectPay.com starting 16 hours after the inmate is booked into the facility. Visits are available 24 hours a day, except during head counts.
Head count times (visits paused): 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Funding Detainee Phone Calls
To put money on a detainee's account for phone minutes, call Inmate Sales at 702-829-3001 or visit www.InmateSales.com.
Visiting Rules
All friend and family visits are non-contact and conducted by video.
For in-person entry to the facility, every visitor is subject to a pat-down, bag inspection, and metal scan. Refusing a search means you will not be admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind. No electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios) in secure areas.
If you appear intoxicated, you will be turned away.
Attorney Visits
In-person attorney visits are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Attorneys, legal representatives, and other professional visitors can do in-person visits or confidential booth visits. They can also register for unmonitored confidential visits online through CorrectPay.com. Once verified and approved by DCDC, these visits are not monitored or recorded.
A list of pro bono legal organizations is posted in every housing unit and updated quarterly. Detainees are responsible for contacting these organizations to schedule appointments.
Virtual Attorney Visits and Legal Calls
Attorneys can request video teleconference (VTC) meetings or confidential legal phone calls by emailing booking@daviesscojail.org or calling 270-685-8466 ext. 273 or ext. 274. The facility will reply with a confirmed date and time.
Appointments must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. Sessions run 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in 30 to 60-minute blocks. There is no cap on how many VTC appointments an attorney can request, but no attorney can have more than one 60-minute meeting with the same detainee in a single day.
The email request must include: the attorney's full name and contact info, the detainee's name and A-number, several proposed dates and times, a scan of the attorney's government ID, proof of legal status (bar card, attorney license, paralegal license, or similar), and a scan of the eFiled G-28 unless this is a pre-representational visit. If a legal assistant is joining alone, attach a letter of authorization on firm letterhead and a scan of the assistant's ID.
Only legal representatives, legal assistants, and interpreters are allowed on these calls. No family, no friends. The attorney can use outside interpretation services during the session. Calls are confidential; an officer stays within sight but out of earshot and will knock 5 minutes before the cutoff.
Recording any virtual or in-person visit, by audio or video, is prohibited. Violations can result in suspension or permanent loss of virtual attorney visit privileges.
Legal Mail by Email or Fax
Attorneys can send legal correspondence to booking@daviesscojail.org or fax to 270-685-8468. Mark "Legal Mail" clearly in the subject line and attach the specific documents to be delivered.
Include a cover sheet with the detainee's full name, A-number, sender's return fax number, total page count, and a "Legal Mail" notation.
Documents are inspected for contraband but not read, then delivered to the detainee. Processing happens during business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.
Consular Visits
Consular officials can meet with their nationals at any time. Make arrangements with the ICE officer through the Chicago detained unit at CHI-ERO-Detained@ice.dhs.gov or 872-351-3990, and bring credentials.
Clergy Visits
Clergy can visit at any time but must arrange the visit ahead of time through the Chaplain's Office.
Money on the books - also called the commissary or trust account - gives your family member access to hygiene items, snacks, phone time, and postage. It is one of the most practical things you can do and it has a direct effect on their daily comfort.
Daviess Co Detention accepts deposits through approved channels that typically include online deposit, phone deposit, or a kiosk at the facility. Use your family member's full legal name and booking number exactly as they appear in the jail's system - any error in the name or number will delay or reject the deposit. InmateAid's send money page lists the specific deposit methods accepted at Daviess Co Detention and walks through the process.
A letter or a printed photo costs almost nothing to send and means far more than most people outside appreciate. Daviess Co Detention accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 3337 Hwy 144. Put their full legal name and booking number on every piece of mail.
Standard rules at most Kentucky county jails: plain white paper only, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos should be standard print size with nothing written on the back. Mail that does not meet the facility's standards will be rejected - and the facility may not notify you that it was. Keep it simple.
InmateAid's send mail service lets you write and send directly from your phone or computer. We print on approved stock and mail it for you, so rejection for formatting is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come new, ordered directly from the publisher or through an online retailer - not shipped from your home address. Facilities require this to prevent contraband. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Anything shipped from a personal address will be turned away.
County jail procedures, visitation rules, phone rates, inmate search tools, bail processes, and what happens at release all vary by state. Kentucky has its own rules and its own agencies, and what applies in one state does not always apply here.
InmateAid's Kentucky prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the Kentucky system. Start there when you need answers that go beyond what this facility page covers.
County jail time is hard in a way that is different from anything else. The uncertainty - not knowing how long, not knowing what comes next - wears on everyone. What you can control is the connection. Calls, letters, visits, money on the books. Every one of those things tells your family member that someone out here is paying attention and is not going anywhere.
InmateAid was built for exactly this. Use us.