Colorado's prison system has undergone some of the most dramatic swings in correctional policy of any state over the past two decades — from aggressive population growth in the 1990s and 2000s to landmark reforms that began reducing incarceration in the 2010s. The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) today holds approximately 16,168 people in state prison, with an imprisonment rate of 277 per 100,000 residents — well below the national average and reflecting years of sustained bipartisan reform efforts. For families of Colorado inmates, understanding this evolving system is essential.
Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC)
The Colorado Department of Corrections operates 20 correctional facilities across the state, ranging from the Sterling Correctional Facility in the northeastern plains to the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City. CDOC is headquartered in Colorado Springs and supervised approximately 7,500 additional individuals on parole at any given time. The department also oversees a robust community corrections (halfway house) system that houses approximately 2,000 individuals.
Colorado operates a limited number of private prison beds — approximately 2,784 people in privately operated facilities, primarily through CoreCivic's Bent County Correctional Facility and Crowley County Correctional Facility. Unlike some states, Colorado has actively reviewed and begun scaling back its reliance on private prisons in recent years.
History of Colorado Corrections
Colorado's correctional history began with the establishment of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City in 1871 — just five years after Colorado achieved territorial status. Cañon City in Fremont County became the hub of Colorado corrections, eventually hosting a cluster of correctional facilities and earning the nickname "Corrections Capital of the World." The region's economy became deeply intertwined with prison employment, a fact that has complicated reform efforts as policy changes that reduce prison populations affect local jobs.
Colorado's prison population grew substantially through the 1980s and 1990s, driven by mandatory minimums, truth-in-sentencing requirements, and the war on drugs. The state's inmate population peaked at approximately 23,000 in the early 2010s before reform legislation began reducing it.
A key turning point came with the passage of Senate Bill 13-250 (2013) — a bipartisan sentencing reform package that restructured drug offense penalties, expanded earned time credits, and invested in community treatment as an alternative to incarceration for low-level drug offenders. Colorado's prison population dropped by several thousand in the years following this legislation.
Scale of Incarceration in Colorado
- 29,168 total incarcerated (prison + jail)
- 16,168 in CDOC state prisons
- 13,000 in county jails
- 277 per 100,000 imprisonment rate
- 78,562 on probation
- 12,284 on parole
- 14,858 men and 1,310 women in CDOC custody
- 2,784 in private prison facilities
Life Sentences in Colorado
Colorado holds 3,726 individuals serving life sentences — approximately 23% of the state prison population. Of those, 790 are serving Life Without Parole (LWOP). Colorado's high proportion of life sentences relative to its moderate imprisonment rate reflects the impact of serious violent crime sentencing, including mandatory life sentences for certain sexual assault and murder convictions.
Colorado abolished the death penalty in 2020, when Governor Jared Polis commuted the sentences of the three men on Colorado's Death Row to life without parole. The state became the 22nd in the nation to end capital punishment. The abolition was preceded by a growing consensus that the death penalty was being applied arbitrarily and disproportionately and had cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in legal proceedings without producing reliable justice outcomes.
Major CDOC Facilities
- Colorado State Penitentiary (CSP, Cañon City): Colorado's supermax facility, housing inmates in administrative segregation (solitary confinement). CSP was the subject of significant controversy and reform efforts after documented abuses of mentally ill inmates in isolation.
- Sterling Correctional Facility: Colorado's largest prison, a multi-level facility on the northeastern plains that houses Level III and IV inmates.
- Limon Correctional Facility: A medium-security facility in Lincoln County, known for a well-developed vocational program and lower recidivism rates among graduates.
- Denver Women's Correctional Facility: Colorado's primary women's prison, located near Denver.
- Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (CTCF, Cañon City): Colorado's oldest operating prison (1871), currently housing medium-security inmates.
Solitary Confinement Reform
Colorado was a national leader in reforming solitary confinement — the practice of isolating inmates in small cells for 22–24 hours per day. Under CDOC Executive Director Rick Raemisch (2013–2019), Colorado dramatically reduced its use of administrative segregation. Raemisch famously spent a night in solitary himself and published an op-ed in the New York Times describing the experience, which brought national attention to the issue.
Colorado passed Senate Bill 14-064 (2014) limiting the placement of seriously mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement. By 2017, CDOC had reduced its solitary confinement population by more than 85%. The state's approach became a model cited by corrections professionals and reformers nationally.
CDOC Programs and Reentry
- Colorado Correctional Industries (CCI): Employs inmates in furniture manufacturing, printing, sign-making, and agricultural operations. CCI products are sold to state agencies, saving taxpayer money while providing inmates with marketable skills.
- Education: GED programs, adult basic education, and college courses through partnerships with Colorado community colleges. CDOC has expanded post-secondary offerings following federal Pell Grant restoration under the FAFSA Simplification Act.
- Cognitive Behavioral Programs: Thinking for a Change, Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), and other evidence-based programs targeting criminal thinking patterns.
- Sex Offender Treatment and Management Program (SOTMP): A specialized treatment program for sex offenders, required for release consideration.
- Reentry Services: CDOC's Office of Planning and Analysis tracks recidivism and coordinates with community corrections providers, county human services agencies, and housing nonprofits to support release planning.
Resources for Families of Colorado Inmates
- Inmate search: CDOC's online Offender Search at doc.colorado.gov allows searches by name or DOC number. Shows facility, sentence, and supervision status.
- Visitation: Visiting hours and procedures vary by facility. Visitors must be pre-approved and carry photo ID. A visitor background check is required. Contact the facility or check doc.colorado.gov for current schedules.
- Mail: Sent to: [Inmate Name, DOC #], [Facility Name], [Address]. All mail except legal mail is inspected. Colorado recently changed its mail policy — many facilities now require mail to be sent through a scanning service (Smart Communications/CORES) rather than directly to the facility.
- Phone: GTL/Aventiv manages the CDOC phone system. Families can set up prepaid accounts. Per-minute rates apply.
- Money: JPay (online/kiosk/app) or money order. Use the inmate's DOC number. Funds go to the inmate trust account.
- Legal resources: The Colorado Office of the State Public Defender handles indigent criminal defense. The ACLU of Colorado handles civil rights complaints about prison conditions.
Services for Families of Colorado Inmates
If you have a loved one incarcerated in a Colorado prison or county jail, AllRecentArrests.us offers four services to help you stay connected and support them:
- Post bail bonds — If your loved one is awaiting trial in a Colorado county jail, connect with a licensed bail agent who can help secure pretrial release for typically 10% of the bail amount.
- Send letters and photos — Write from your phone or computer; we handle printing, formatting to Colorado DOC rules, postage, and delivery so your mail passes inspection.
- Send care packages — Choose from facility-approved snacks, hygiene items, and essentials filtered to what is actually allowed at your inmate's specific Colorado facility.
- Discounted phone calls — Reduce the cost of inmate calls from Colorado facilities using a local routing number that bypasses the long-distance rates typically charged by facility phone providers.