Colorado Department of Corrections
Colorado Department of
Corrections
The Colorado Department of Corrections provides protection and public safety by managing
offenders in controlled environments of prisons, community-based facilities and parole programs
that are safe, humane, appropriately secure, and provide work and self-improvement
opportunities to assist offenders in community-reintegration.
Our Vision
To be recognized as a progressive, stable, and professional correctional system that achieves
excellence by focusing on:
Public Service
Responding to stakeholders and consumers of correctional services through proactive
partnerships with Colorado policy makers and local communities.
Employees
Employees at all levels and functions working together as a team with trust, integrity and
supportive relationships that include a common vision, mission and goals.
Staff Development
Providing professional development for staff in order to achieve excellence in job performance.
Inmate Management
Providing work and programs to develop skills, attitudes and behavior that enhance offender
management and improve chances of successful reintegration into society.
Continuous Improvement
Continuously improving all operating and administrative systems to achieve consistency,
efficiency and excellence.
Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center
DRDC is the first stop for all offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections. Located on
Smith Road, just east of the Denver County Jail, staff at the 400-bed maximum security facility
process, test and classify offenders entering the system, who then await placement at one of the
facilities described below.
Colorado State Penitentiary
CSP opened in 1993, and is a 504 bed (soon to increase to 756 in 1998) management control unit, housing the department's most
violent and dangerous offenders. It is located in the DOC's East Canon Complex, 5000 acres of
land just outside of Canon City.
Centennial Correctional Facility
CCF is also located on the East Canon Complex. The facility, built in 1980, is designated for
336 close custody inmates and has a staff of 160.
Fremont Correctional Facility
FCF is the state's largest prison with 1181 medium security beds. The first unit was built in
1962 and the second built as a separate facility in 1980. The two were combined under a single
administrative structure in 1991, and FCF has a staff of 362.
Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility
CTCF is the department's oldest facility, originally constructed in 1871. Located on Highway 50
in Canon City, CTCF today houses 566 medium security inmates as well as 120 in transition to
other DOC facilities. Also located at CTCF is a 32-bed infirmary which services all Canon area
facilities and a variety of the DOC's business offices, including payroll, purchasing and
communications.
Canon Minimum Centers
CMC consists of four separate facilities under a single administrative structure in the DOC's East
Canon Complex. The Skyline Correctional Center opened in 1964, and has a capacity of 200
minimum security inmates. The Four Mile Correctional Center is a minimum-restricted security
facility, opened in 1981, and currently houses 588 inmates. The Pre-Release Center, opened in
1983, attempts to ease the inmates' transition back into society by offering a series of life skills
programming. PRC has a capacity of 164. The newest of the Canon Minimum Centers is the
Arrowhead Correctional Center, a minimum-restricted security facility housing 484 inmates which opened in 1990.
CMC has a total staff of 388.
Colorado Women's Correctional Facility
CWCF, located just west of DOC's East Canon Complex, opened in 1968. The facility today has
the capacity to house 274 inmates ranging from maximum to minimum custody level. CWCF
has a staff of 90.
Pueblo Minimum Center
PMC is a 206-bed minimum-restricted facility for females. Opened in 1994, the facility consists
of three renovated units on the grounds of the Colorado Mental Health
Institute at Pueblo.
Inmates assigned to PMC work for CMHIP and do other community projects in the Pueblo area.
Buena Vista Correctional Facility
Located in Buena Vista, Colorado, BVCF was constructed in 1892 as the Colorado State
Reformatory and served as housing for juveniles. BVCF today houses 955
adult male medium
and minimum-restricted inmates and has a staff of 364. Also located on the grounds of BVCF is
the Colorado Corrections Alternative Program, or "boot camp", a 100-bed
unit designated as a
regimented inmate discipline program for young male and female inmates who have not
previously served time in the system.
Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility
Located near Ordway, Colorado, approximately 50 miles east of Pueblo, AVCF was the first new
major adult facility built outside the Canon City area. The facility opened in 1986 and houses
1,007 medium custody inmates with a staff of 333.
Limon Correctional Facility
LCF is also one of the DOC's newer facilities, having opened in April, 1991. Architecturally
similar to AVCF, the facility is medium security, houses 958 inmates, and has a staff of 328.
Delta Correctional Center
DCC, opened in 1964, is a minimum security facility and houses 400 inmates with a staff of 70.
The facility will expand to house 480 in 1998. Many inmates assigned to DCC work off-grounds
in assignments for local, state, federal and non-profit agencies, saving Colorado taxpayers tens of
thousands of dollars each year.
Rifle Correctional Center
RCC, opened in 1969, is a minimum security facility and houses 150 inmates with a staff of 35.
Like Delta, many inmates at Rifle are assigned to outside labor crews. Some assignments
include the Rifle Senior Center, and an inmate staffs the Rifle Animal
Shelter on a full-time basis.
Colorado Correctional Center
CCC, opened in 1969, is a minimum security facility located in Golden, houses 150 inmates and
has a staff of 35. Many inmates have work assignments off-grounds with other state agencies or
the Correctional Industries outlet in Denver.
San Carlos Correctional Facility
SCCF is a 250-bed close security facility on the grounds of the Mental Health Institute in Pueblo,
opened in July, 1995, housing chronically mentally ill inmates.
Youth Offender System
YOS was authorized by the Colorado Legislature in the 1993 Special Session to deal with
juvenile violence. Intended as a middle tier between the Division of Youth Corrections and the
Department of Corrections for violent youth felons, the program is currently housed at the
Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center. The new 300-bed YOS facility is scheduled to be opened in 1998 on the Colorado Mental Health Institute of Pueblo campus. YOS combines a firm, disciplined regimentation with
a full schedule of academics, work, interpersonal relations, pre-vocational skills within a positive
peer culture.
Planned facilities:
- Sterling Correctional Facility - multi-custody facility, 2,445 beds when totaly completed, beginning with 1357 beds.
- Denver Women's Correctional Facility - multi-custody facility for female offenders south of
the
DOC's Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center, housing 248 women offenders.
- YOS Facility - a 300-bed facility to be built on the grounds of the CMHIP, encompassing all
phases of the YOS program.
- Trinidad Correctional Facility - multi-custody beginning at 480 beds.
Community corrections programs were established in Colorado in 1977. The Division of
Community Corrections is responsible for the statewide administration of community corrections
programs for adult offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections and youthful offenders
sentenced to the Youth Offender System, (YOS). The program includes the referral, movement,
management, supervision and remediation of inmates assigned to 24 residential/halfway house
programs, a "Boot Camp" transitional release program, a nonresidential Intensive Supervision
Program (ISP), and YOS supervision. Community corrections programs provide specialized
treatment services focusing on substance abuse, mental health, family reintegration, vocational,
employment and parole/community release planning.
An inmate may be referred for community residential placement within 19 months of his/her
parole eligibility (PED), violent offenders at 9 months. Placement of all adult offenders requires
the approval of one of the 22 statewide local community corrections boards.
Parole is a conditional release from prison, made by an independent seven-member board
appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Colorado Senate. For all crimes committed
after 1985, parole is conditional. From 1979 to 1985, parole in Colorado
was mandatory, meaning
that the board could only set conditions for parolees to follow, but offenders had to be paroled.
Common conditions of parole are that an offender must maintain a certain residence, and attend
certain treatment programs. If an offender violates condition of parole, the supervising parole
officer may bring the offender in front of the parole board, and the board may revoke the
offender's parole, sending him/her back to prison. The board may revoke parole for any time
frame, up to the remaining length of the offender's sentence. Parole also has an Intensive
Supervision Program, which includes a significantly higher level of supervision, with electronic
monitoring.
Admissions & Releases
| Admissions |
|---|
| 1996 |
5,371 |
| 1995 |
4,746 |
| 1994 |
4,373 |
| 1993 |
4,040 |
| 1992 |
4,061 |
| 1991 |
3,498 |
| Releases |
|---|
| 1996 | 4,445 |
| 1995 | 4,001 |
| 1994 | 3,593 |
| 1993 | 3,563 |
| 1992 | 3,309 |
| 1991 | 3,115 |
Intake by County
| Denver | 28.1% |
| El Paso | 10.7% |
| Jefferson | 10.5% |
| Arapahoe | 8.4% |
| Adams | 8.2% |
| Larimer | 5.2% |
| Weld | 4.5% |
| Boulder | 3.8% |
| Pueblo | 3.3% |
| Mesa | 3.1% |
| All other | 14.2% |
Population by Gender
Population by Ethnicity
| Anglo | 41.8% |
| Hispanic | 31.3% |
| African American | 22.8% |
| Native American | 2.2% |
| Asian American | .4% |
| Unknown | 1.4% |
Top Five Crimes
| Violent |
| Sex Assault | 5.5% |
| Attempts/Conspiracies/Accessories | 4.2% |
| Assault | 5.5% |
| Menacing | 3.4% |
| Robbery | 3.9% |
| Non-Violent |
| Drug Offenses | 22.6% |
| Attempts/Conspiracies/Accessories | 9.6% |
| Theft | 7.5% |
| Burglary | 7.3% |
| Escape | 7.4% |
Average Sentence Length
| Violent Offenses |
| 2nd degree kidnapping | 74.3 years |
| 2nd degree murder | 35.3 years |
| 1st sexual assault | 100.3 years |
| Sex assault on child | 14.3 years |
| Aggravated Robbery | 15.7 years |
| Non-Violent Offenses |
| 2nd degree burglary | 9.7 years |
| Theft, Class 2 | 8.9 years |
| Drugs, Class 2 | 6.1 years |
| Aggrevated motor vehicle theft | 5.3 years |
Distribution by Age
| Male
| 15 to 19 | 2.1% |
| 20 to 29 | 37.1% |
| 30 to 39 | 37.2% |
| 40 to 49 | 17.1% |
| 50+ | 6.5% |
| Female
| 15 to 19 | 1.7% |
| 20 to 29 | 29.9% |
| 30 to 39 | 45.4% |
| 40 to 49 | 17.8% |
| 50+ | 5.1% |
DOC Budget in Millions
| FY 1997 | $302 |
| FY 1996 | $268 |
| FY 1995 | $242 |
| FY 1994 | $217 |
| FY 1993 | $188 |
| FY 1992 | $168 |
| FY 1991 | $179 |
| FY 1990 | $153 |
Inmate Jurisdictional Population Levels
| 1996 | 11,019
|
| 1995 | 10,564 |
| 1994 | 9,622 |
| 1993 | 9,068 |
| 1992 | 8,474 |
| 1991 | 7,794 |
Colorado Department of Corrections - Meeting the Challenges of Explosive Growth
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last modified 10/14/97