Colorado Prisons: Facilities, Inmate Lookup, Visits, and Parole

Colorado prisons are run by the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC), which operates 19 state facilities and oversees two privately run prisons for a total of 21 institutions housing a projected 18,300 people in fiscal year 2026.¹² The system spans five security levels, from open-boundary minimum camps to double-fenced maximum-security prisons, and the practical rules for locating, visiting, and supporting someone inside differ enough from other states that the specifics are worth getting right.

Where People Are Held

Every CDOC facility carries a security level from I through V, set largely by statute. Level I has open boundaries and no required perimeter fencing. Level II uses single or double fencing with periodic patrols. Level III adds towers or walls, razor wire, detection devices, and continuous patrols. Level IV uses similar barriers but is authorized for close-custody inmates long-term. Level V, the highest tier, adds stun-lethal fencing options and controlled sally ports and can house any classification.³

Facilities cluster in a few regions, with the largest concentration around Cañon City in Fremont County:²

Cañon City area (Fremont County): Arrowhead Correctional Center (II), Centennial Correctional Facility (V), Colorado State Penitentiary (V), Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (III), Four Mile Correctional Center (II), Fremont Correctional Facility (III), Skyline Correctional Center (I).
Denver: Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center (intake and classification), Denver Women’s Correctional Facility.
Pueblo: La Vista Correctional Facility, San Carlos Correctional Facility, Youthful Offender System.
Other state facilities: Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility (Crowley County, III), Buena Vista Correctional Complex (Chaffee County, III), Delta Correctional Center (Delta County, II), Limon Correctional Facility (Lincoln County, IV), Rifle Correctional Center (Garfield County, I), Sterling Correctional Facility (Logan County, IV), Trinidad Correctional Facility (Las Animas County, III).
Private facilities: Bent County Correctional Facility and Crowley County Correctional Facility, both of which must meet the same regulatory standards as state-run institutions.⁴

Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center processes everyone entering the system before they are assigned to a permanent facility. Security designations for the Denver, Pueblo, and private facilities are set by CDOC rather than listed in the statute’s table.³

How to Find an Inmate

CDOC runs a free online offender search that anyone can use without an account.⁵ You can search by last and first name or by DOC number, the permanent identifier assigned at intake that appears on sentencing paperwork and the court’s commitment order. Matching the exact spelling from court records gives the most accurate results.

The results show current facility, custody classification, and key dates. Assignments can change at any time because of reclassification, medical needs, or programming, so check the locator before planning a visit or sending mail.

Visiting Someone in a Colorado Prison

Getting on the Approved List

You cannot drop in. Every visitor must be pre-approved. Submit a Visitor Application to the specific facility where the person is housed, with a copy of your current government-issued photo ID. One adult name per application. The facility’s administrative head decides whether to approve, deny, or deactivate a visitor.⁶

CDOC runs a background check on every applicant and repeats it annually. If you are approved but do not visit for a full year, your status deactivates and you have to reapply and clear a new check. Outstanding felony or misdemeanor warrants are grounds for denial. Current and former CDOC employees who were not immediate family members of the inmate before incarceration generally cannot visit for at least seven years after leaving their position. Minors visiting with an adult family member other than a legal guardian need written authorization from the parent or guardian on a specific CDOC form.⁶

In-Person, Video, and Attorney Visits

Each facility sets its own visiting schedule, posted on its page on the CDOC website. CDOC also offers video visitation through Securus; once you are approved, you can set up a Securus account and schedule video visits online, which is often the practical choice when a facility is far from where you live.⁷

Attorney visits run on a separate track. Counsel must submit a written request to the facility’s litigation coordinator at least 24 business hours in advance. Unannounced attorney visits are not permitted.⁷

Sending Money

CDOC is in the middle of switching deposit vendors. Through May 9, 2026, you can send money through JPay. Starting May 10, 2026, CorrectPay becomes the sole provider.⁸ Both vendors charge service fees that vary by amount and method, and the fee schedules are posted on each vendor’s site.

One rule routinely catches families off guard: CDOC is required by statute to withhold at least 20 percent of every deposit to apply toward court-ordered fines, fees, restitution, or child support the inmate owes.⁸ If you send $100, no more than $80 reaches the spendable account. Plan accordingly if you are trying to cover commissary basics like hygiene products, food, and stationery.

Phone Calls and Mail

Securus is CDOC’s telephone provider, having replaced Global Tel Link. The contracted rate is $0.019 per minute for prepaid and collect calls, covering local, in-state, and interstate connections. Under HB23-1133 that rate is reduced by 25 percent, so the actual cost is about $0.014 per minute. All calls are monitored and recorded except verified attorney-client communications.⁹

For mail, every envelope must show the inmate’s commitment name (the name on their court records), their DOC number, and the full mailing address of the correct facility, along with your valid return address. Addresses are listed on each facility’s page on the CDOC website.⁹ Mail without proper identifying information will not be delivered. Staff inspect all incoming general correspondence, which can add several days to delivery. Content depicting weapons manufacturing, advocating violence or gang activity, or meeting the policy’s definition of sexually explicit material is prohibited; personal letters that describe sexual content are handled differently from published materials and are not automatically censored, but sexually explicit photos or drawings will be rejected.

Earned Time and Release Dates

Colorado lets inmates shorten their sentences through earned time credits for positive behavior, program participation, and institutional conduct. The standard rate is up to 10 days off per month of incarceration, based on demonstrated progress in work and training, group living, counseling, education, and overall cooperation with institutional goals.¹⁰

People serving sentences for lower-level felonies (class 4, 5, or 6 felonies, or level 3 or 4 drug felonies) can earn up to 12 days per month with a clean disciplinary record and programming compliance. The enhanced rate is not available to people convicted of certain violent or sexual offenses. Additional earned time is available for work at disaster sites or for exemplary leadership through mentoring and community service.¹⁰

None of this is automatic. A case manager has to certify consistent progress, and serious disciplinary violations can wipe out credits already earned. The projected release dates shown in the offender search reflect credits already applied and can move in either direction.

Parole

Mandatory Parole

Most people released from a Colorado prison serve a period of mandatory parole after discharge, whether they are released by the parole board or by completing their full sentence. Mandatory parole cannot be waived by the inmate or suspended by the court.¹¹ For drug felonies, the mandatory periods are three years for a level 1 drug felony, two years for a level 2, and one year for a level 3 or 4.

When someone has multiple felony convictions running consecutively, the mandatory parole period is set by whichever conviction carries the longest term. The parole board can discharge someone early from mandatory parole if it finds the person has been sufficiently rehabilitated and no longer benefits from supervision.¹¹

Discretionary Parole

Inmates serving indeterminate sentences may become eligible for discretionary parole after completing the minimum sentence, minus earned time. The Colorado State Board of Parole weighs each case against factors including victim testimony, actuarial risk of reoffending, program participation and progress, institutional conduct, the quality of the proposed parole plan, and educational effort while incarcerated.¹²

Standard decisions require agreement from at least two board members. Cases involving violence, sexual offenses, or other serious matters go to a full board review with at least four members participating and at least four voting in favor to grant parole. Victims have the right to notice of hearings and can participate in person, by phone, or by video. If parole is denied, the board gives the inmate written reasons.¹²

Community Corrections and Reentry

Colorado uses 30 community corrections facilities (commonly called halfway houses) as a step-down between prison and full release.¹³ The referral timeline depends on the offense. People convicted of a violent offense are referred nine months before their estimated parole eligibility date and can be placed six months before. People with non-violent convictions are referred at 19 months and can be placed at 16 months before eligibility. Referrals go to the county where the person plans to live or the county of conviction, and the local community corrections board must approve the placement.

CDOC also staffs Community Re-Entry Specialists who work with people approaching release to connect them with housing, transportation, employment training, job placement, clothing, and personal hygiene supplies. The services are tailored to individual needs and require active participation from the person being released.¹⁴

Grievances

Inmates with a complaint about conditions, treatment, or any aspect of confinement use CDOC’s three-step grievance process. The expectation is informal resolution with staff first, with one exception: allegations of sexual abuse skip the informal step. A written Step 1 grievance on the official CDOC form must be filed within 30 days of the incident, with 25 days for the facility to respond. Step 2 is an appeal to the facility’s administrative head, filed within five days of the Step 1 response, again with 25 days to respond. Step 3 is a final appeal to the department’s grievance officer, who has 45 days to decide. Sexual abuse allegations have no filing time limit, and the full process must be completed within 90 days. Grievances flow through the inmate’s case manager or community parole officer to the facility grievance coordinator, and exhausting this process is typically required before taking a conditions-of-confinement claim to court.

1
Colorado Department of Public Safety. Interim Prison Population and Parole Caseload Forecast June 2025
2
Colorado Department of Corrections. Facilities
3
Justia Law. Colorado Code 17-1-104.3 – Correctional Facilities, Locations, Security Level, Report
4
FindLaw. Colorado Code 17-1-103 – Duties of the Executive Director
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Colorado Department of Corrections. CDOC Offender Search
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Colorado Department of Corrections. General Information and Approval Process
7
Colorado Department of Corrections. Visit an Incarcerated Individual
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Colorado Department of Corrections. Send Money to an Inmate
9
Colorado Department of Corrections. Contact an Inmate
10
Justia Law. Colorado Code 17-22.5-405 – Earned Time
11
Justia Law. Colorado Code 18-1.3-401.5 – Sentencing, Drug Felonies
12
Colorado State Board of Parole. Parole Board Rules and Regulations
13
Colorado Department of Corrections. Community Corrections
14
Colorado Department of Corrections. Community Re-Entry Specialists