The Colorado Department of Corrections is the principal department of the Colorado state government that operates the state prisons. It has its headquarters in the Springs Office Park in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, near Colorado Springs.<!--The city council map shows that the HQ is in a "hole" surrounded by the city--> The Colorado Department of Corrections runs 19 state-run prisons and also has been affiliated with 7 for-profit prisons in Colorado, of which the state currently contracts with 2 for-profit prisons.

Facilities

Colorado DOC facilities are classified at Levels I through V, with Level I correlating to minimum security, Level II correlating to minimum-restrictive security, Level III correlating to medium security, Level IV correlating to close security, and Level V correlating to maximum security.

State-Run Prisons

  • Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility (Ordway) - 1,029 inmate capacity (Level III Facility)
  • Arrowhead Correctional Center (Cañon City) - 520 inmate capacity (Level II Facility)
  • Buena Vista Correctional Facility (Buena Vista) - 1,034 inmate capacity (Level III Facility)
  • Centennial Correctional Facility (Cañon City) - 936 inmate capacity (Level V Facility)
  • Colorado State Penitentiary (Cañon City) - 725 inmate capacity (Level V Facility)
  • Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (Cañon City) - 921 inmate capacity (Level III Facility)
  • Delta Correctional Center (Delta) - 381 inmate capacity (Level I Facility)
  • Denver Reception & Diagnostic Center (Denver) - 570 inmate capacity (Intake/Classification Facility)
  • Denver Women's Correctional Facility (Denver) - 768 inmate capacity (Mixed Classification Women's Facility)
  • Four Mile Correctional Center (Cañon City) - 521 inmate capacity (Level II Facility)
  • Fremont Correctional Facility (Cañon City) - 1,601 inmate capacity (Level III Facility)
  • La Vista Correctional Facility (Pueblo) - 570 inmate capacity (Level III Women's Facility)
  • Limon Correctional Facility (Limon) - 938 inmate capacity (Level IV Facility)
  • Rifle Correctional Center (Rifle) - 192 inmate capacity (Level I Facility)
  • San Carlos Correctional Facility (Pueblo) - 255 inmate capacity (Level V Facility)
  • Skyline Correctional Center (Cañon City) - 126 inmate capacity (Level I Facility)
  • Sterling Correctional Facility (Sterling) - 2,320 inmate capacity (Level IV Facility)
  • Trinidad Correctional Facility (Model) - 500 inmate capacity (Level II Facility)
  • Youthful Offender System (Pueblo)

In 2012, the state of Colorado had no designated death row. All prisoners with death sentences were given classifications of "Close", the highest custody designation possible. As of 2017, all prisoners with death sentences are located at the Sterling Correctional Facility. The execution chamber is located at the Colorado State Penitentiary. By state statute, executions took place there. The death penalty was abolished in 2020.

From the 1890s to the 1990s, the Colorado death row was located at the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. The execution chamber was also located in this prison. In the 1990s, the Colorado State Penitentiary opened. In 2011 the State of Colorado moved its death row prisoners in order to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Nathan Dunlap, a death row prisoner. Dunlap had complained about the state's lack of outdoor exercise facilities at Colorado State Penitentiary.

From the end of 2024, the Colorado Department of Corrections will implement policies for transgender inmates - regarding gender-affirming healthcare and other related issues. This was bought about with a court "settlement" from a lawsuit.

Fallen officers and officials

Since the establishment of the Colorado Department of Corrections, 17 officers have died while on duty, including Executive Director Tom Clements.

See also

  • List of law enforcement agencies in Colorado
  • List of United States state correction agencies
  • List of U.S. state prisons

References