The Shelby County Detention Center is located in Shelbyville and processes bookings from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, Shelbyville Police Department, and other local agencies. Booking records are publicly accessible under the Kentucky Open Records Act (KRS 61.870–61.884). The facility serves a county that has experienced significant growth due to its position between Louisville and Lexington along I-64.

Shelbyville is located approximately 30 miles east of Louisville and has grown substantially as a commuter community. The city is the historic center of the American Saddlebred horse industry, hosting the Shelbyville Horse Show each summer and home to numerous horse farms in the surrounding countryside. Simpsonville, in the western part of the county near the Jefferson County line, has seen rapid suburban development including the large Southwick and Persimmon Ridge planned communities.

About Shelby County

Shelby County sits along the I-64 corridor in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass Region. The county's economy combines agriculture (particularly equine and tobacco historically), manufacturing, and an increasing residential base of Louisville and Frankfort commuters. Shelby County is also notable for its diverse population, having attracted a significant immigrant workforce for its food processing and manufacturing industries over the past two decades. The county's landscape of rolling horse farms, stone fences, and small-town Main Streets is quintessential Bluegrass Kentucky.