While incarcerated, people in our care acquire valuable knowledge, skills, and work experience through Denver Sheriff Department vocational training opportunities and/or other occupational education courses offered at our facilities. For more information on how people spend their time in jail, download the Family and Friends Handbook(PDF, 877KB) .
Handbook for Family and Friends of Incarcerated Persons(PDF, 877KB)
The Alternative Sentencing Program allows those in our care to maintain their employment, education, and/or treatment. Learn more about the Alternative Sentencing Program.
The Work Search Program allows people to search for employment while in jail. Learn more about the Work Search Program on the Work Release Program page.
The benefits of breastfeeding for moms and babies are plentiful. Even the community benefits from breastfeeding; research shows that if 90% of babies breastfed exclusively for 6 months in the U.S., nearly 1,000 deaths and $18 billion in health care costs could be saved each year!
Breastfeeding individuals, and those who exclusively use a breast pump, may need information, support, and simple accommodations to maintain lactation or to safely wean and stop milk production without the risk of infection or serious health concerns. Milk must be expressed/pumped as often as the baby nurses, or takes a bottle, throughout each day (typically every two to four hours) to keep the lactating person comfortable, to prevent infection, and maintain an adequate milk supply.
To support women in a dignified and respectful manner, the Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) created the Inmate Lactation Support Policy, the purpose of which is to support inmates in maintaining an adequate milk supply, provide expressed milk to their child(ren), and/or to safely wean and prevent serious medical complications. The DSD offers educational materials, breast pumps and supplies, as well as a dedicated lactation space. Those in our care may also utilize the Milk Storage and Transport Program, which provides frozen storage of human milk for three days and may be picked up for the inmate's child(ren).
Those in our custody who are lactating will receive:
The Religious Services staff is responsible for assuring people have the opportunity to participate in religious practices deemed essential to their faith while incarcerated. This is accomplished through the leadership of the Inmate Programs Chaplain and trained religious services volunteers, representing churches and other faith-based organizations in the community. Religious services include bible study, religious studies, worldview classes, and more.
On a weekly basis, services and bible studies are held.
Annually, hundreds of people receive individual spiritual counseling through the Sheriff Department chaplains and/or volunteers from various church organizations.
When a religious leader of an inmate’s faith is not represented through volunteers, the chaplain assists the inmate in contacting such a person.
In addition, local churches and/or charitable organizations donate the majority of religious reading materials distributed in the jails.
The Denver Sheriff Department is fortunate to have the support of numerous religious leaders in the community to provide services to people of different faiths.
It is the mission of the Denver Sheriff’s Food Service Department to ensure that all inmates housed in our facilities receive meals that are nutritionally balanced, diverse, and prepared and served in the manner that upholds industry standards for health and safety.
MealsInmates receive three meals per day (breakfast, lunch & dinner). Bread is also baked on premises weekly. Food is prepared daily under controlled sanitary conditions. All meals have been approved by an independent Registered Dietician to ensure balance and variety.
Religious DietsWe provide religious meals that are reviewed by certified personnel to ensure adherence to religious requirements. We are also observant of food needs for religious holidays.
Special Medical DietsOur partnership with the Medical Department provides immediate communication for inmates with special dietary and health needs. Special medical diets are verified before all meal times.
Unless specified by the court, only inmates sentenced through CountyCourt are eligible for the Sheriff Home Detention Program.
Here is some information on eligibility and policies of the program:
To appropriately classify individuals who enter our correctional facilities, we use two models: Direct Supervision and Objective Classification Direct Supervision Model.
The Direct Supervision model combines two key elements:
Direct supervision jails focus on actively managing the behavior of those in their care to ensure a safe and secure environment for inmates, staff, and visitors.
Staff interact continuously with inmates in the housing units, actively supervising them to identify problems in their early stages. They use basic management techniques to prevent negative behavior and encourage positive behavior. Staff assume control of the jail and establish a professional supervisory relationship with inmates. There are no barriers separating staff and inmates in the housing units.
The physical design of the jail supports the management of inmate behavior by reducing physical barriers that impede upon staff and inmate interaction and ensures clear sightlines into all areas of the housing units. Incorporating certain design elements in fixtures and furnishings promotes positive behavior, as well.
For more information, visit the National Institute of Corrections website.
Objective Classification relies on a narrow set of well-defined, standardized factors to determine housing and program needs within the jail. Some of these factors are:
Mail addressed to the Downtown Detention Center or the County Jail will be returned to sender. Please address mail to:
[Inmate’s name], CD # Denver Sheriff Department P.O. Box 1108 Denver, CO 80201
Inmates may receive paperback books only and they must be shipped directly from a bookstore or publisher. Items not allowed to be given to someone in our care include stationery, hardcover books, or religious items.
Denver Health is a comprehensive, integrated organization providing level one care for all, regardless of ability to pay. Twenty-five percent of all Denver residents, or approximately 150,000 individuals, receive their healthcare at Denver Health. One in three children in Denver is cared for by Denver Health physicians.
As Colorado's primary safety net institution, Denver Health has provided billions of dollars in uncompensated care. Denver Health is an integrated, efficient, high-quality healthcare system serving as a model for other safety net institutions across the nation.
Denver Health's Mission:
Mental Health Services
The behavioral health services team consists of psychologists, psychiatrists, advanced practicing nurses, nursing staff, case managers, and social workers. They work together to provide the best care to those in our care. Services include medication management, individual therapy, group therapy, and case management. The High Acuity Transition (HAT) unit is located at the Downtown Detention Center and is a voluntary program designed for inmates with chronic and persistent mental illness.
The Male and Female Transition Units are located at the County Jail and provide clinical and transitional services to appropriate inmates with mental illness. A 30-day prescription for psychiatric medications is provided to inmates released into the community from Denver County in order to encourage a continuum of care.
Learn more about Denver Health by visiting denverhealth.org.
The mission of the Denver Sheriff Department (DSD) Programs Unit is to build opportunities around successful transition. Empowering people to be productive members of the community through collaboration with community-based partners benefits the community as a whole.
Programs operates out of the Van-Cise Simonet Downtown Detention Center and the Denver County Jail. To learn more about these locations, visit our Contacts webpage.
Some of the programs that are offered vary by location, however, both locations provide the following services:
The Downtown Detention Center offers:
The County Jail offers:
Other Programs
For more details on programs and services offered according to location, download the following documents: Downtown Detention Center Programs & Services(PDF, 282KB) Denver County Jail Programs & Services(PDF, 287KB)
Property belonging to a person in our care can be retrieved from the Vehicle Impound Facility (VIF) – visit the VIF webpage for details.
Property can be released to someone else as long as the inmate allows, having authorized the release of property. Property requests cannot be completed by mail and property will not be mailedto a requestor--it must be picked up in person. Here is a list of what is needed from the person in our care and the person picking up the property:
Must-Haves for Releasing Property (Inmate):
Must-Haves for Retrieving Property:
If the property is released to you, you will be responsible for taking all of the inmate's property at that time. You will not be allowed to pick and choose which items will be released. Prior to your arrival, please make arrangements to take the entirety of the property home with you. The facility does not have bags for boxes for the toting of property.
You cannot drop property off to an inmate. Inmates can purchase sundries, underwear, and t-shirts from the commissary. Inmates are provided shoes and other clothing by the facility.
You cannot bring in stationery, religious items or books to an inmate. However, you can mail books to an inmate directly from a store or publisher.
The intake process includes the following steps:
Booking times vary as many things can prolong the identification process–it usually takes 2 - 6 hours to be fully processed through the intake system. The jail has no control over how long the process will take.
ICE holds are immigration holds. Any questions regarding the ICE processes should be directed to the ICE detention center: 3130 North Oakland St. Aurora, Colorado 80010 (303) 361-0723
There are three ways to place monies on an account for someone in our care. Each way requires a Criminal Descriptor number which can be found by doing an Inmate Search:
Money can be withdrawn from an account if agreed to by the inmate and they have ample funds in their account. A valid government issued ID will be required to make this request.
Calling Cards
In order to receive calls from a person in our care, you need to create an account with Securus Technologies. To set up an account with Securus, visit their website at www.securustech.net or call 800-844-6591.
Did you pay into GlobalTel*Link (GTL), our previous telephone service provider? Because GTL monies will not transfer to Securus, you'll want to contact them to get a refund at 877-650-4249 or www.gtl.net.
A GTL agent will either process the requested refund or provide instructions for receiving a refund by mail.
If refunding to a credit or debit card, a GTL agent will submit a refund request after obtaining the card details from the customer over the phone. A credit should appear on the card account within 30 - 60 business days.
If refunding a Western Union or money order payment, GTL will submit a refund request to the agency.
Requesting a refund online? Follow these steps:
Sending in a written refund request?
To help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Colorado and keep people healthy while continuing to provide safety and security for the Denver Metro area, we are doing the following:
Those In Our Care:
Employees/Staff: