What’s the difference between jail and prison in Colorado?

Run by the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC), Colorado prisons are detention facilities where convicted felons serve out their sentence. They are usually located in rural areas of the state.

In contrast, Colorado jails are usually located near a courthouse. They house people who either 1) have been recently arrested, 2) are awaiting trial and cannot bail out, and 3) are serving misdemeanor sentences. Jail inmates who get convicted of felonies are then transferred to state prison.

Colorado Jails

There are dozens of county- or city-run jails in Colorado. Smaller towns may instead have holding facilities where they keep newly-booked arrestees. If they cannot bail out, they then may be transferred to a regular jail in a nearby city. Some of the larger Colorado jails are the following:

1. Adams County Detention Facility in Brighton
2. Alamosa County Jail in Alamosa
3. Archuleta County Jail in Pagosa Springs
4. Bent County Jail in Las Animas
5. Boulder County Jail in Boulder
6. Broomfield Jail in Broomfield
7. Cheyenne County Jail in Cheyenne Wells
8. Clear Creek County Jail in Georgetown
9. Conejos County Jail in Conejos
10. Costilla County Jail in San Luis
11. Custer County Jail in Westcliffe
12. Delta County Jail in Delta
13. Denver County Jail in Denver
14. Douglas County Jail in Castle Rock
15. Eagle County Jail in Eagle
16. Elbert County Jail in Kiowa
17. Fremont County Jail in Cañon City
18. Garfield County Jail in Glenwood Springs
19. Gilpin County Jail in Black Hawk
20. Grand County Jail in Hot Sulphur Springs
21. Gunnison County Jail in Gunnison
22. Jackson County Jail in Walden
23. Kit Carson County Jail in Burlington
24. Lake County Jail in Leadville
25. La Plata County Jail in Durango
26. Larimer County Jail in Fort Collins
27. Lincoln County Jail in Hugo
28. Mesa County Jail in Grand Junction
29. Moffat County Jail in Craig
30. Montezuma County Jail in Cortez
31. Montrose County Jail in Montrose
32. Morgan County Jail in Fort Morgan
33. Otero County Jail in La Junta
34. Park County Jail in Fairplay
35. Pueblo County Jail in Pueblo
36. Rio Blanco County Jail in Meeker
37. Rio Grande County Jail in Del Norte
38. Routt County Jail in Steamboat Springs
39. San Miguel County Jail in Telluride
40. Summit County Jail in Breckenridge
41. Teller County Jail in Divide
42. Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in Denver
43. Washington County Jail in Akron
44. Weld County Jail in Greeley
45. Yuma County Jail in Yuma

Colorado Prisons

The Colorado Department of Corrections has 21 prison facilities. There are all state-run except where noted:

1. Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility (AVCF) in Ordway
2. Arrowhead Correctional Center (ACC) in Canon City
3. Buena Vista Correctional Complex (BVMC) in Buena Vista
4.  Bent County Correctional Facility (BCCF) in Las Animas (private facility)
5. Centennial Correctional Facility (CCF) in Canon City
6. Colorado Correctional Center (CCC or “Camp George West”) in Golden
7. Colorado State Penitentiary (CSP) in Canon City
8. Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (CTCF) in Canon City
9. Crowley County Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Olney Springs (private facility)
10. Delta Correctional Center (DCC) in Delta
11. Denver Reception & Diagnostic Center (DRDC) in Denver (where all new CDOC inmates are processed)
12. Denver Women’s Correctional Facility (DWCF) in Denver
13. Four Mile Correctional Center (FMCC) in Canon City
14. Fremont Correctional Facility (FCF) in Canon City
15. La Vista Correctional Facility (LVCF) in Pueblo
16. Limon Correctional Facility (LCF) in Limon
17. San Carlos Correctional Facility (SCCF) in Pueblo
18. Sterling Correctional Facility (SCF) in Sterling
19. Rifle Correctional Center (RCC) in Rifle
20. Trinidad Correctional Facility (TCF) in Model
21. Youthful Offender System (YOS) in Pueblo (which houses inmates 14 to 19 years old)

Search for Colorado State Prison inmates here.

For a more general discussion, please see our article on the difference between jail and prison.