El Paso County Inmate Search
According to Colorado Revised Statutes § 16-3-102, a law enforcement agent (peace officer) in El Paso County, Colorado, can make an arrest if they have a warrant from a judge or witness a crime. They can also arrest someone if they believe enough evidence suggests a person committed an offense. Moreover, Section 16-3-201 of the state's Revised Statutes allows private citizens to arrest a person when they witness that person committing a crime.
After an arrest, alleged offenders are typically transported to a confinement facility within the county to be processed. Depending on the severity of an offense, the person may be released, allowed to post bail, or detained pending trial.
Most pretrial inmates are held in the El Paso County Jail. The El Paso Sheriff's Office oversees the county jail and other correctional facilities, such as the Metro Work Release Facility. The El Paso County Jail also houses individuals sentenced by a state or federal court.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office keeps detailed records on inmates housed in any of the county's jail facilities. These records are open to the public except when protected by law.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and therefore are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
El Paso County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office's 2021 Annual Report, the Intake and Release Unit of the Detention Bureau's Operations Divisions booked 14,864 and released 14,894 persons in 2021. The average daily population of inmates serving sentences in the El Paso County Jail in 2021 was 1,250 inmates.
El Paso County Prison System
The Detention Bureau of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) manages the county's prison system, including the El Paso County Jail and the Metro Work Release Facility (MWRF).
The Bureau comprises the Security, Operations, and Support Divisions.
- The Detention Security Division supervises the El Paso County Jail inmates, including detention projects.
- The Detention Operations Division runs the Intake and Inmate Services Section and the Court Services Section. The former is responsible for taking in and releasing inmates, bookkeeping, inmate court file maintenance, screening and placement classification, and warrant processing. The latter is responsible for all inmates' safe transport and security to and from the court and other parts of Colorado, such as the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.
- The Detention Support Division provides support services to residents and all units of the Detention Bureau. This Division has four subunits: Inmate Services, Jail Industry Management, the Gateways Through the Rockies Inmate Work Program, and Jail-Based Behavioral Health Services. The Division also manages jail vendor contracts.
The El Paso County Jail accommodates individuals arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges by any law enforcement agency in the county. It also accommodates inmates awaiting trial or serving time in jail or the Department of Corrections. It comprises 25 wards, and each can house 27 to 94 inmates.
On average, inmates stay for 32 days in the El Paso County Jail, and over half of them face or have already been convicted of felonies. The jail also acts as a contract holding facility for state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Marshal's Office, Military Installations, and the Colorado State Parole.
How to Find an Inmate in El Paso County
Individuals who want to find an inmate in El Paso County can contact the booking desk of the Sheriff's Office at (719) 390-2151. They can also visit the County Sheriff's Office at 27 East Vermijo Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, or the El Paso County Jail at 2739 East Las Vegas Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, to inquire about an inmate.
The Sheriff's Office also offers an online search tool that members of the public can use to find basic inmate details.
How Does an El Paso County Inmate Search Work?
The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) regulates access to inmate information. It affirms that criminal justice agencies must maintain records of their official actions. These records are available for inspection by any person and may be challenged by anyone with a legitimate interest in the information.
Thus, the public has access to inmate information in El Paso County, which includes:
- Name (first, middle, last)
- Booking number
- Location
- Race
- Sex
- Weight
- Height
- Hair and eye color
- Scars/marks (if any)
- Date of birth
- Charges
- Warrants
Where to Find an El Paso County Inmate Locator
Members of the public can use the inmate search tool on the El Paso County Sheriff's Office website to find inmates within the county's correctional system.
Although the El Paso County Jail also houses state and federal inmates, inquirers may have to use other resources to find state inmates serving time under the Department of Corrections or federal inmates serving time under the Federal Bureau of Prison.
For state prisoners, inquirers can use the Offender Search tool the Colorado Department of Corrections provides. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Prisons offers online search tools to find inmates using their names or numbers.
People interested in finding an El Paso inmate may also use online third-party services. These websites typically offer advanced searches and comprehensive results.
How to Send Money to an El Paso County Inmate
Individuals can send money to an El Paso County inmate in person, by mail, via telephone, or online.
To make deposits to inmate accounts in person, individuals must use the jail bookkeeping window or one of Trinity's systems (the cash machines in the Metro Work Release facility and El Paso County Jail). Official checks, money orders, cashier's checks, or cash deposits are accepted. However, personal checks are not accepted, and change cannot be provided.
Alternatively, members of the public can send money to an inmate's account via mail. The Sheriff's Office only accepts money orders, official checks, and cashier's checks in an envelope. Cash and personal checks are prohibited for mail deposits. Furthermore, senders cannot add pictures or personal correspondence to the envelope or send multiple deposits with one envelope.
Below is the mailing address for mail depositors.
El Paso County Criminal Justice Center
Attn: Bookkeeping – Inmate Funds
2739 East. Las Vegas Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Online and telephone deposits are provided by a vendor approved by the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office website has more information on how to send money to inmates online or by phone.
How to Visit an El Paso County Inmate
The El Paso County correctional system uses a Video Visitation system to facilitate inmate visits. Video visitation occurs in person at the county jail, and visitors must abide by specific rules and regulations. These visits can also be executed online during regular business hours.
The Video Visitation Center operates daily, including weekends and holidays. However, in-person visits have limited availability. As a result, the Sheriff's Office encourages visitors to use the online visitation service.
Generally, all visitors must schedule at least two days before their intended visiting date. The El Paso County Jail's calendar weekday begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. Visitors can book their visit by phone by calling (719) 390-2373, through the on-site kiosk, in person through the staff, or online. Intending visitors must provide the following to schedule a visit:
- First and last name that appears on their ID
- Phone number and email
- Address
- Date of birth
- Relationship with inmate
- Photograph
Acceptable identification includes a driver's license, government ID (such as a consular identification card, passport, or military ID), temporary driver's license, or an identification card issued within the last 30 days.
It is also important to schedule the visit during an inmate's unlock period, or the visit may be canceled. As a general rule, inmates are not notified about visits except for professional visits. Therefore, they are advised to always check for scheduled personal visits through their wards' Daily Visitation Schedules and monitors.
The duration of an in-person visit at the El Paso County Jail is typically around 30 minutes. The visitation monitor is programmed to turn off automatically to signal the end of the visit. Visitors are required to leave the facility at this point. On the other hand, online visits can be scheduled for 15 to 30 minutes.
Different visitation rules are outlined on the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) website, including pet prohibitions, limits on items (food, drinks, etc.) to be brought into the facility, age requirements for visitors, general decorum, use of cell phones, and more. The sheriff also outlines the dress code for in-person and online visits.
Visitors should note that the Detention Bureau may ban inmates and visitors who break prison visitation rules or engage in disruptive activity. The violation or the severity of the misconduct determines the length of the ban. While the ward visitation staff will notify visitors of bans, inmates must check their ward tablets or monitors to confirm bans.
Inmates can also request a ban on visitors they do not wish to see by sending a request to the Floor Security Sergeant through a kiosk. The minimum duration for a ban is 90 days, but they can request a longer time frame. Visitor bans are not reversible after an inmate makes the request.
How to Send Jail Mail in El Paso County
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office uses a third party to process incoming personal correspondence to inmates. The general rules for sending mail to an inmate in the El Paso County jail are as follows:
- All incoming personal correspondence to an inmate must have a legible return address, which must be included in the envelope's upper left corner or in the letter.
- Senders must include the inmate's full booking name and number in the vendor's mailing address.
- Senders must use the U.S. Postal Service or similar delivery service to send mail.
- Inmate-to-inmate correspondence is only permitted for immediate family members who can provide proof of the relationship.
- Inmates can receive international mail and buy postage stamps using their account funds to send mail outside the country.
- Personal incoming correspondence sent to the EPSO is printed on 8.5 by 11 paper. As such, senders are advised to send mail no larger than 8.5 x 11.
Senders should also note the following jail mail restrictions:
- Bound or open book-like materials or correspondence with illegible writing are prohibited.
- Only online food packages ordered through the approved vendor are accepted.
- Nude photographs, including those of infants, are not allowed.
- Pornographic or lewd photographs or drawings are not permitted.
- Photographs larger than 4x6 inches will not be resized by staff and will be rejected. Each mail is limited to a maximum of 10 pictures. Collages are allowed, but each image included in the collage counts toward the 10-picture maximum.
- Books or magazines cannot be received from bookstore street addresses or private individuals.
- Books or magazines containing lewd or pornographic content are not accepted.
- Books or magazines teaching weapons manufacture, fighting/tactical skills, pornography, and violence are prohibited. Gang-related material or materials relating to drugs/chemicals are also prohibited.
- Oversized books are not accepted; the maximum size is 8.5 x 11 x 3 inches thick.
- Blank journals are not accepted.
- Magazines should not be forwarded as they are not accepted.
- Multiple copies of the same book are not accepted.
Any mail rejected by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office will not be given to the inmate. The inmate will be notified of the rejection, but the sender will not receive any status report. The EPSO's jail mail vendor typically retains the denied mail for 30 days and returns it to the sender.
El Paso County Jails and Prisons
Here's the main address and contact number of the El Paso County Jail in Colorado:
2739 East Las Vegas Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Phone: (719) 390-2000
