Detention Bureau
Welcome to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Detention Bureau. Our goal in the Detention Bureau is to maintain a safe, secure environment for those incarcerated at the El Paso County Jail and the Metro Work Release Facility (MWRF). We strive to provide opportunities for inmates to obtain the necessary discipline, skills and therapy through a multi-systemic approach including substance abuse and anger management programs, progressive/regressive classification system, and the Reintegration and Recovery Program, to successfully return to their communities once released.
The El Paso County Jail houses all individuals arrested on misdemeanor and felony charges by all law enforcement agencies in El Paso County. The inmates are pre-trial and/or sentenced to the El Paso County Jail or Department of Corrections. The overall average length of stay for inmates incarcerated is 32 days and over 50% of the population is sentenced on or facing felony charges. The El Paso County Jail is also a contract holding facility for several state and federal agencies, to include Colorado State Parole, Military Installations, and the U.S. Marshal’s Office.
The Detention Bureau is comprised of two components: Security and Operations. The Security Division is responsible for housing and supervision of the 1500 plus inmates in the El Paso County Jail on a daily basis, as well as detention projects. The Operations Division encompasses the Intake and Inmate Services and Court Services Sections. The Intake and Inmate Services Section is responsible for the intake and release of inmates from the facilities, classification screening and placement, inmate court file maintenance, bookkeeping and warrant processing. The Court Services Section is responsible for the safe transport and security of all inmates to and from court. The Detention Compliance Section encompasses the Standards and Compliance and Facility and Offender Management Sections.
The Detention Bureau is a necessary and valuable component of the criminal justice system and El Paso County. We continuously strive to maintain a professional environment while maintaining the highest correctional standards in a state of the art facility. We hope that you find the information contained within this site informative.
Detention Operations Division
The Detention Operations Division is responsible for operating two sections; Intake and Inmate Services, as well as Court Services.
The mission of the Intake and Inmate Services Section is to ensure responsibilities are accomplished in accordance with accepted professional standards as prescribed in Colorado Revised Statue (C.R.S.) 17-26-103. In addition, the Section maintains required records and ensures accountability and security of inmate funds and property. During an inmate’s stay, all of the inmate’s records are maintained by this Section to include court updates, new charges, bond charges, work release fees, pre-trial services and any holds generated by other agencies.
Court Services
Located in the El Paso County Courthouse, the Court Services Section is part of the Detention Operations Division and is divided into the Court Unit and the Transport Unit. This Section is responsible for ensuring the public’s safety by providing security in 50 court rooms as well as 1 advisement courtroom within the El Paso County Jail. They are responsible for moving inmates to and from court in a safe, secure, and timely manner, in addition to arresting and processing remands in accordance with prescribed directives and applicable laws. Further, to provide safe and secure vehicular transportation for inmates to and from court, between local detention facilities, State Hospital, Department of Corrections facilities and other law enforcement jurisdictions throughout the state and as directed by the courts.
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)
In 2003, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (known as “PREA”), in an effort to eliminate sexual abuse in correctional (‘confinement’) settings.
Inmate Funds
Cash, Cashier’s Checks, Official Checks, or Money Orders can be accepted 24/7 at the main transaction window located in the lobby of the El Paso County Jail. No personal checks will be accepted and no change is available to be given. Deposits to inmate accounts can only be done through the jail Bookkeeping window or one of Trinity's systems (cash machines located in the El Paso County Jail, Metro Work Release facility, or online systems).
Inmate Property
All inmate property is inventoried during pre-admit processing, booking, then re-inventoried by Property Technicians who control and account for inmate property.
No property is accepted for an inmate once they are formally booked into the El Paso County Jail with the following exceptions: prescription glasses, certain pre-approved prescription medications which must be verified and accepted by the jail medical staff, clothes for jury trials, State Identification, Passports, vehicle and house keys.
Upon completion of a Personal Property Release form, an inmate can release property to a specific, identified person. The person receiving this property must have a valid picture identification card and present it prior to any property being released to them.
Property can be picked up 24 hours a day at the transaction window in the lobby of the El Paso County Jail.
Intake and Release
To ensure all Intake and Release responsibilities are accomplished in accordance with accepted professional standards and as prescribed in Colorado Revised Statue (C.R.S.) 17-26-103. In addition, Intake and Release maintains required records, ensures accountability and security of inmate funds and their personal property.
Special Response Team (SRT)
The responsibilities of the team cover a large gambit of duties, which have expanded since the original implementation of the team. Some of these include: Forced Cell Extractions, Open Area Containment, Riot Control, Mental Health Pick Ups, High Risk Extraditions and Transports, High Risk Jury Trials and Site Visits, and supplemental duties to the SWAT Team.
Bonding / Advisements
HB 21-1280 BONDING PROCESS
LEGAL RIGHTS RELATED TO POSTING MONEY BOND PURSUANT TO SECTION 16-4-102, COLORADO REVISED STATUTES
- BOND FEES, BOOKING FEES AND OTHER FEES OR DEBTS NEVER NEED TO BE PAID TO SECURE A PERSON'S RELEASE ON MONEY BOND. A PAYOR NEED ONLY PAY THE BOND AMOUNT IN ORDER TO SECURE RELEASE.
- WHILE NEVER A BASIS TO HOLD A DEFENDANT IN JAIL, THE FOLLOWING FEES ARE CHARGEABLE AS A DEBT TO THE DEFENDANT AFTER RELEASE IF THE PAYOR CHOOSES NOT TO PAY THE FEES AT THE TIME OF BONDING:A $10 BOND
Detention Security Division
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Detention Bureau, Security Division is comprised of a group of approximatley 279 dedicated men and women who are proud of their ability to ensure inmates are housed in a safe, secure and constitutionally sound manner.
The men and women of the Security Division provide vital services to an approximate daily average jail population of over 1,600 inmates.
Inmate Visitation
Visitation Days and Hours
The Video Visitation Center is open every day of the year to include weekends and holidays. Normal business hours are 8:00 am to 1:45 pm and 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Due to current COVID restrictions, there is limited availability for in-person visits. Online visits are available during normal business hours.
(Closures for maintenance may occur occasionally)
Detention Support Division
The Detention Support Division is responsible for support services to all Detention Bureau units and residents. The division is divided into four subunits: Jail Industry Management, Inmate Services, Jail Based Behavioral Health Services, and the Gateways Through the Rockies Inmate Work Program. The Detention Support Division is also responsible for jail vendor contract management.
Detention Investigations Team
Gateways Through the Rockies
Since 1996, the EPSO Gateways Through the Rockies Program has provided effective educational and therapeutic programming, re-entry support, and employable work experiences though community based business partnerships. Gateways is a non-taxpayer/self-supported inmate work program. We strive to have a positive personal impact on criminal offenders, significantly reducing crime in El Paso County and surrounding counties, and to save taxpayers money that would have been spent on policing and re-incarceration.
Inmate Classification
Inmate Classification is responsible for assigning a security classification to each inmate after being booked into the El Paso County Jail, which contains several types of wards or cells. The Classification Unit considers various factors when determining an inmate's classification and placement; however, an inmate's classification can be changed even after being admitted. Housing reviews/re-classifications are completed on a 45, 60 and 90-day period depending on where the inmate is housed.
Inmate Mail
Inmate Programs
Inmate Programs operate within the Support Division of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Detention Bureau.
A portion of the Inmate Programs Section is responsible for providing educational, religious, and therapy-oriented programs to the inmate population. Attendance in programs is voluntary and available to most inmates upon written request at no charge. The El Paso County Jail provides a multitude of programs to incarcerated inmates in an ongoing effort to give them the opportunity to earn an education and resolve personal growth issues. Below are just a few of the programs that are offered to our General Population inmates.