The Fremont County Jail is a 240-bed detention facility located in Cañon City, CO. Cañon City is situated in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, about an hour southwest of Colorado Springs. Accessible from highway 50, the Fremont County sheriff’s office and jail is on 100 Justice Center Road. The main phone number is (719) 276-5555.

This detention facility houses adult male and female inmates serving sentences for all types of crimes, including Colorado misdemeanor and felony offenses. Newly arrested individuals are detained at the jail temporarily, awaiting bail and resolution of their charges.

Below, you will find detailed information pertaining to policies at the Fremont County jail. This information is provided by Colorado criminal defense lawyers for the benefit of detainees and their loved ones. Topics covered include:

• 1. How to Locate a Fremont County Inmate
• 2. Bail Bonding Information
• 3. Phone Communication with Inmates
• 4. Providing Funds for Inmate Cash Accounts
• 5. Visitation at the Fremont County Jail
• 6. Mail for Inmates
• 7. Health and Safety at the Jail
• 8. Work Release
• 9. Inmate Property
• 10. Legal Help

1. Find a Fremont County Jail Inmate

To locate a friend or relative who may have been taken into custody, call the sheriff’s office directly at (719) 276-5555. Staff will verify inmates by their full name and birthdate, and will also provide information about bail bond amounts, if applicable.

Online, you can locate an inmate using www.vinelink.com/#/search. This website provides information about custody status and location, identifying detainees by age, date of birth, and race.

Note that juvenile offenders cannot be detained at this jail, but must be transported to the Pueblo Youth Services Center or the Spring Creek Youth Services Center in Colorado Springs.

2. Paying Bond for Inmate Release

Most of the time, a detainee will be given the option to post a bail bond to obtain release from jail. Paid in cash or posted as a bond guarantee, this money and/or property is subject to forfeiture if the accused does not appear in court as assigned. (Click for more information on Colorado bail bonding.)

To pay an inmate’s bail at the Fremont County jail, you must present cash, a money order or a cashier’s check. Cashier’s checks and money orders are made payable to Fremont County Combined Courts. A $10 cash fee will be required in addition to the bail amount.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s office hours are as follows:

Monday – Thursday
7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Friday
7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The office is closed on all U.S. holidays.

As an alternative to paying the bond at the jail, you can secure the assistance of a licensed bail bondsman (listed in phone and online directories). The bonding agency will charge a nonrefundable fee for posting bail, often 10-15% of the total bond, and take care of the matter for you.

3. Phone Calls with Inmates

Fremont County jail inmates are not allowed to take incoming phone calls from friends and family, and the staff will not relay messages to inmates. (In case of emergency, you can call the jail and ask to speak to the on-duty supervisor.)

Detainees and inmates are free to use phones in the booking area and jail housing units. All calls will be charged collect to the receiver or the inmate can use pre-purchased phone time. To purchase phone time, you can come in and use a kiosk in the detention center lobby. Cash and credit cards are accepted in the kiosk, with a fee assessed for each transaction.

Phone calls are limited to 15 minutes duration, but there is no limit to the number of calls an inmate can make. Note that all calls may be monitored and recorded. It is important to avoid speaking about criminal charges and the facts of the inmate’s case, as statements can be used against the inmate in court.

If you are receiving unwanted phone calls from an inmate, you can call and ask the on-duty supervisor to have your telephone number blocked. (Requests to undo this phone number block must be made in writing.)

4. Visitation at the Cañon City Jail

Visitation at the jail is every Saturday and Sunday. There are 10 visiting stations available, and use is on a first come, first serve basis. There are specific visiting hours for individual cell pods and detention areas, which are as follows:

Housing Area Day and Time

Pods D and G Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 10: 30 a.m.

Pods A, B, C, E and F Saturday, 12 Noon -2:30 p.m.

Pods H and J Sunday, 8:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Pod T, Barracks and Booking Sunday, 12 Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Visits are 15- 30 minutes long, and take place through a glass partition using a phone handset. Contact visits are not allowed unless they involve legal counsel or similar professional visitations. Inmates are limited to one visit a day, with two people allowed to visit at one time. The jail cannot facilitate off-site video visitation at this time.

Rules for visitors to the jail are strictly enforced:

1. Government-issued photo identification is required of all adult visitors, submitted along with a form that must be filled out. You may use a birth certificate for ID, but it must be the original, not a photocopy.
2. Dress appropriately for visits, which means clothing that is not at all revealing. Thin strap or halter tops, low cut or see-through shirts, and short shorts or skirts are not acceptable.
3. Children under 18 may visit, but must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and must remain within arm’s reach of the adult. The jail will not allow visits from minors who bring in a “permission to visit” communication from a parent.
4. Cell phones and other electronic devices are not permitted in the visiting area. Other items that must be left behind are purses, backpacks, books, notepads, and writing materials.
5. Visitors may visit more than one inmate, but this will be at different time slots. You may not move from one visitation station to another without permission. A separate form is required for each visit.
6. Visitors who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be denied visitation.
7. If you are actively on parole, you may not visit a Fremont County inmate.
8. Rule violations end the visit and may lead to penalties for the visitor and inmate.

All visits are monitored and recorded, and incriminating statements about the criminal charge should be avoided.

5. Inmate Cash Accounts

Money for inmates to use to buy commissary items can be deposited by friends and family members. The kiosk in the lobby accepts cash or credit cards, with an additional fee assessed for this service. You may also deliver or mail in a money order to deposit into the inmate’s account. Personal checks and payroll checks are not accepted, and will be returned to sender.

Using deposited funds, inmates can order desired items through a kiosk in the jail. An additional option for providing inmates with luxuries is through the website jailatm.com. You can use a credit card at the site to order “gift packs.” Allowable extras include food, hygiene items, playing cards, stationary, and limited clothing.

Note: one set of clothing for an inmate’s court date is allowed to come into the jail, but it must come through his or her attorney. The clothing must be transported within 72 hours of the jury trial.

6. Sending Mail to a Cañon City Inmate

Mail should be addressed as follows:

Inmate’s Full Name
Fremont County Detention Center
100 Justice Center Road

Cañon City, CO 81212

Note that the name on the envelope must be the same as the inmate’s booking name – nicknames are not acceptable.

You may not send packages of any kind to inmates. Do not send mail containing photocopied articles, stamps or stamped envelopes, or food items. Note that inmates who lack funds for postage and stationary are provided with the means to mail two letters a week for free.

You can order paperback books and newspapers to be shipped directly from a vendor such as amazon.com or a used book store. These packages must include a visible list of enclosed items.

Photographs sized 4 x 6” can also be sent to inmates within a mailed envelope. Each inmate is allowed to keep up to 10 photos at a time.

When sending a letter or greeting card, the envelope must remain plain and unadorned by stickers, glitter, fragrance, lipstick marks or other fluids. Likewise, greeting cards must not be embellished with bows, ribbons, glitter, or music. Items violating these rules will be returned to sender.

All correspondence is subject to inspection, and incriminating statements will be noted. Mail that is sent from an attorney or the court will be opened by the inmate in view of jail staff. Correspondence between inmates is strictly prohibited.

7. Health and Safety at the Jail

Inmates at the Fremont County jail are housed according to classification. The selection of housing is related to the type of criminal charge, the inmate’s criminal history, and observed behavior while in custody.

According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, every effort is made to reduce the risk of sexual assault in the jail. Policies are in place to support and uphold the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, and incident reporting is encouraged. Reports can be made by calling (719) 276-5520. All reports are thoroughly investigated.

A healthcare practitioner is available onsite at the detention center 16 hours per day. Inmates who require prescription medication may have a family member bring it in. The medication must be a current prescription and must be delivered in the original bottle.

8. Work Release Opportunities

If a judge has given permission for an inmate to work outside of the jail, final approval for this privilege rests with the Fremont County jail. An application packet must be filled out, and the place of employment verified.

Work release participants generally work up to 40 hours per week, but there is potential to work more hours with special permission. Fees are charged to participate in this program, assessed on a sliding scale. Fees cover a GPS tracking device, which must be worn at all times, and drug testing.

9. Inmate Property

When an individual is booked into the Fremont County jail, all property in his or her possession is sealed and stored for safe keeping. The property will be returned upon the inmate’s release, or the inmate can sign an authorization to allow a visitor to pick it up. The form must be submitted the day prior to the pick-up date.

The jail will request that property deemed to be excessive or valuable be removed from the facility. Family or friends will be asked to pick it up once a release is signed. Proper identification is required for all property pick-ups.

10. Consult a Defense Lawyer

If you or your loved one is facing a Colorado criminal charge, it is wise to consider retaining legal assistance. An experienced criminal defense lawyer can make a significant difference in your case outcome. Many accused individuals see dropped charged or reduced consequences. To get a free consultation from the Colorado Legal Defense Group, call (303) 222-0330. Or, contact us online today to request a phone call or appointment.