These 10 Deadly Prisons Can Only Be Found In Kentucky

In previous articles, we have seen some of Kentucky’s most stupid and evasive criminals. Now, let’s take a look at where criminals like that end up, in these intense Kentucky prisons. We have several maximum security prisons and a barrage of medium security institutes. The wardens keep control of hundreds of inmates, all imprisoned for varying degrees of criminal activity.

Consider this list like the bluegrass state's scared straight, so here are 10 of the toughest correctional facilities in Kentucky:

1) Big Sandy

This high-security prison at 505 Prison Connector in Martin County is known for housing some of the vilest criminals, many sentenced to lengthy sentences. Stephen Michael Reid threw scalding water on a staff member, giving him third-degree burns. This was one of his many assaults on staff members over the years. John Travis Milner stabbed an inmate repeatedly then strangled him to death. These two are some of the calmer offenders.

2) Blackburn Correctional Complex

Neighbors near this minimum security prison at 3111 Spurr Road in Lexington stay a bit uncomfortable. Why? Charles Blanton, Kelly Conway, and Timothy Day all just walked away from this facility, and they are just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Eastern Kentucky Correctional Institute

Sometimes it's not just the criminals that make a prison a dangerous place. Back in 2018, a former correctional officer pleads guilty to beating an inmate in an isolated shower cell. The officer held the prisoner to the ground as his fellow officers repeatedly punched and kicked the man pinned to the ground. The new addition to the facility will be added and then will make this the second-biggest prison in the state.

4. Green River Correctional Facility

Being in a remote location led to inmates feeling isolated and lonely. Overcrowding and understaffing allow for a lot to go on unnoticed. With dorm-like arrangements, Green River Correctional Facility allows for prisoners to get too close and violence usually occurs.

5) Kentucky State Penitentiary Eddyville

This maximum security prison located at 266 Water Street in Eddyville holds some of the most hostile and sociopathic prisoners in the Bluegrass State. Ralph Baze is sitting on death row for the murder of two police officers.

6) Kentucky State Reformatory

This prison at 3001 W. Hwy 146 in Lagrange houses over 2,000 inmates, making it the second largest correctional facility in Kentucky. It was under fire due to the suffocation of a mentally ill inmate, Steven Le McStoots. He was put in a four-point restraint to "protect" himself. The film of the event shows a different story.

7) Luther Luckett

This minimum and medium security penitentiary is located at Box 6 Dawkins Road near Lagrange. It was host to the documentary "Shakespeare Behind Bars," depicting "The Tempest," which was filmed there.

8) Northpoint Training Center

The facility at 710 Walter Reed Road in Burgin began as a mental hospital. From 1941 through 1946, the military took over and utilized it for mentally troubled soldiers and German POWs. In 1946, the state took it back over, but in 1977 it became a juvenile detainment center. It wasn’t until 1983 that it became an actual prison. Now it houses over 700 inmates convicted of various crimes.

9) PeWee Valley Women's Prison

This all-female prison at 3000 Ash Avenue in Pee Wee Valley has been around since 1938. It houses all levels of inmates, including those on death row. That doesn’t mean they are the only hazards in the facility though. In 2011, Sergeant James B. Johnson was charged with 50 counts of misconduct of prisoners and 25 counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

10) Western Kentucky Correctional Complex

This prison at 374 New Bethel Church Road in Fredonia is a work farm. Prisoners here get to tend vegetables and dig up potatoes under strict supervision. In the 1980s, one of the farming supervisors was murdered by an inmate in the field.

Though some of these prisons are not high security, they still have their share of problems. Some prison guards, like Ferguson, end up looking through the opposite side of the bars at some point. Other guards sacrifice their lives while trying to save those of us who are free. Kentucky prisons do their best to keep the bad guys on the inside, but occasionally they get out. Please post your thoughts on Kentucky Prisons and Correctional facilities in the comments.

Want to stay a night in prison but remain a free citizen and have a clean record? Well, then you are in luck because there is an accommodation called the Jailer's Inn which was once a place of confinement but now is a lovely place to stay the night.