Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center is one of the two facilities comprising the Denver County Jail system in Colorado. Also called the Denver City Detention Center or the Downtown Detention Center, it houses arrestees until/if they make bond and processes inmates for prison transfers.

The Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center is located at 490 West Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80204. Search for an inmate here or call (720) 337-0200.

In this article, our Denver criminal defense attorneys answer frequently-asked-questions about Downtown Detention Center in Denver, Colorado, including bail procedures. Click on a topic to jump to that section:

• 1. How do I locate an inmate at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center?
• 2. How do I bail out an inmate from the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center?
• 3. Can I phone an inmate at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center?
• 4. When can I visit an inmate?
• 5. How do I give money to an inmate?
• 6. Can I send mail to an inmate?
• 7. What if an inmate gets sick or needs medicine?
• 8. Does the jail have a commissary?
• 9. Who gets booked at the jail?
• 10. Other information

1. How do I find a person in custody at the Denver City Detention Center?

Click here to be redirected to the inmate search page and choose the option that says “Downtown Detention Center.” The website also provides information about the inmate’s case and court information. You can also call the Information Desk at (720) 337-0400.

2. How do I bail out a person in custody at the Denver City Detention Center?

Phone the bonding office at either (720) 337-0061 or (720) 337-0062 for the most current bail procedures. The office hours are from 7:00 am-10:00 pm Monday through Sunday. Note that there is a $50 non-refundable bond fee.

People may post bail themselves or via a bondsman. Customers who use a bail bonds company pay 10-15% of the inmate’s bail amount, and then the bondsman puts up the rest. After the case ends, the entire bail amount gets returned to the bondsman. The bondsman keeps the 10-15% as its payment.

Arrestees may not be bailed out until their fingerprints have been cleared and they have been fully booked into jail. And arrestees may not be released on bond until at least two (2) hours after the bond paperwork is signed by all parties involved.

If bond is posted for an inmate with an ICE hold, the bond will not be refunded if the individual does not appear at his/her next court date. Instead, the bond money will be forfeited. And a new warrant will be issued for the defendant’s arrest.

Click here to view the Denver bond schedule.

3. Can I phone a person in custody at the Denver City Detention Center?

No, but you may receive phone calls if you set up a new account with Securus Technologies here or by calling 1-800-844-6591. Phone calls are not private and are usually recorded, so be careful not to say anything incriminating.

4. When can I visit a person in custody at the Denver City Detention Center?

First, you must make a reservation by calling (720) 913-3791 or by filling out this form. These visits may be recorded, so be careful not to say anything incriminating.

Inmates who have not been in custody for at least ten (10) days are not eligible for a jail visit. And submitting a visitation request does not guarantee you a visit.

All videos are conducted through video (“no contact”). But the sheriff is considering allowing contact visits in an effort to help the inmates’ mental health.¹

5. How do I put money on a person in custody’s books?

First, you must know the inmate’s Criminal Descriptor Number, also referred to as the CD #. If you do not know the CD #, you can locate it here. Then you may put money in the person’s jail account in either of the following three (3) ways:

1. Jail kiosk. The kiosk located at the Downtown Detention Facility at 490 Colfax Denver, Colorado 80206, accepts payments by cash or credit card.
2. Jail information desk. Postal money orders can be dropped off at the Downtown Detention Center’s information desk. The money order needs to contain the inmate’s name and CD #.
3. Online. Go to Access Corrections.

6. Can I send mail to a person in custody?

Yes, you can send postcards and letters. The address is:

The name and CD# of the inmate

P.O. Box 1108

Denver, Colorado 80201

Outsiders can mail paperback books to an inmate directly from a store or publisher.

7. Does the jail have medical care?

Yes. National Commission Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) is an accredited health care service that is available to inmates 24 hours a day. It is under the guidance of Denver Health Medical Center.

8. Does the jail have a commissary?

Yes, inmates have shopping privileges for such items as toiletries, snacks and stationary. If you wish to place money into an inmate’s account, please reference question 5 above.

9. Who gets booked at the jail?

People arrested for a felony or misdemeanor crime in Denver County get booked at the Downtown Facility. Defendants who do not get bailed out stay there until trial.

10. Other information

The Downtown Facility holds 1,500 people.

In an effort to catch inmates hiding drugs, the jail routinely has two drug-sniffing dogs patrol the premises. If the dogs pick up a scent, the police then have probable cause to perform a strip search. The jail hopes this will prevent any incidents like the tragedy in 2016 where five inmates overdosed on crack cocaine.²

The Detention Center has some history of prison guard abuse. In 2017, two sheriff’s deputies were suspended for excessive force.³

Arrested? Call a Colorado criminal defense attorney…

If you or a loved one has been arrested in Colorado, phone our Denver criminal defense attorneys for a free consultation at (303)222-0330. We may be able to get the charges reduced or dismissed so your record stays clean. And if necessary, we’ll fight for you all the way to trial.

Also see our list of Colorado jails.

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