La Plata County Jail

The La Plata County Jail (aka the La Plata County Detention Center) is located in Durango, Colorado. This is the largest detention facility in Southwest Colorado, and it's operated by the La Plata County Sheriff's Department. This jail houses a maximum of 293 adult men and women who have been arrested by local law enforcement, using the direct supervision model. 

The Detentions Division houses both males and females who have been arrested on misdemeanor and felony charges by all law enforcement agencies in La Plata County, including the Federal Marshals.  

The inmates housed include pre-trial inmates and/or inmates sentenced to the La Plata County Jail or the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in the La Plata County Jail, click here for inmate search, call the facility at (970) 247-1161, or use VINE. Be prepared to provide the inmate’s full name and date of birth.

The Colorado VINE system is a service through which victims of crime can search for information regarding the custody status of their offender, and to register to receive phone calls and e-mail notifications when the offender’s custody status changes. 

The VINE toll-free number for the Colorado VINE system is (888) 263-8463. This service is provided to assist Victims of Crime who have a right to know about their offender's custody status. Click this link to register.

Bonding an Inmate out of the La Plata County Jail

Call the jail to find out the type of bond required for your inmate. The bond is set by a judge according to a court-approved schedule. The purpose is to make sure the defendant will appear at all his or her court dates. The amount of the bond is what it will take to release the inmate from jail. 

There are three types of bonds—personal recognizance (PR), surety, and cash. 

• PR bonds are issued by the judge and only require a signature (no money). 
• Surety bonds require a bondsman, who will pay the bond and charge you 10% to 15% of the bond amount as a fee (none of this money will be returned to you). 
• Cash bonds must be paid in full with cash, debit/credit card, or money order. They can be paid online or at the La Plata County Jail. The full amount of a cash bond is returned once all court appearances have been made.

There is a $30 booking fee and a $10 bond fee for all inmates at the La Plata County Jail. The expectation is that these fees will be paid at the time of bonding your inmate out of jail. But, Colorado law does allow those fees to be charged, and you do not have to pay them at the time of bonding.

Please call the jail if you have any questions or concerns.

Cash bond payments can be made in the lobby kiosk at the La Plata County Jail. To pay a cash bond online with a debit or credit card, click here to visit the TouchPay website. The La Plata County Detention Center's Facility ID is: 781303.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visitation at the La Plata County Jail is conducted via their new Securus video visitation system. Visits can be done on-site at the jail's video visitation room, or they can be conducted remotely with your computer, tablet, or smartphone (must have a camera and internet connection). 

You must sign up to become an approved user of the Securus Video Visitation System.

Remote Visits

All Remote Visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance by the visitor via the Securus Video Visitation Website. The cost for a 25-minute remote visit is $5.95. Price is subject to change if Securus adjusts their rates. 

The visit will automatically start at the scheduled time. You must sign in one minute prior to the scheduled start time of your visit.

On-Site Visits

All On-Site Visits must be scheduled via the Securus Friends and Family website 24 hours in advance. After you log on and enroll, you will be able to schedule a visit following the approval process.

On-Site visitors must present a valid state or government photo ID and check in 10 minutes prior to the start time of the scheduled visit.

On-Site visits are limited to one visit in 24 hours and only two visits per inmate per calendar week. The only exception to this will be a child under the age of 2 years who can be held on the visitor’s lap. Visits are limited to 25 minutes each. 

All visitors must be 18 years of age to visit unless accompanied by an adult. Children must not be left unattended at any time.

Visitation days are Tuesday through Saturday and visitation times are 8:00 am to 9:30 am (in 25 minute increments), 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 7:00 pm, and 7:30 pm.

The visit will automatically start at the scheduled time. You must sign in one minute prior to the scheduled start time of your visit.

On-Site visitors are not allowed to have bags, purses, cell phones, other electronic devices, or other personal items in the visitation area. The only exception is keys and identification.

Loud talking, excessive emotionalism, or any type of disruptive behavior will not be permitted. 

Rules and Dress Code

Visitors at the La Plata County Jail must wear proper attire: No string top, tube tops, short midriff shirts or short shorts. Your visit will be denied if you are wearing any of the above mentioned items.

No NUDITY or provocative or inappropriate behavior will be permitted during any visit (on-site or remote). Violators will be barred from visitation.

Do not damage or deface the visitation equipment. If you damage or deface the equipment or any county property you will be prosecuted.

Dates and times of visitation are subject to change as deemed necessary by the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.

Inmate Mail Rules:

• Friends and family may send a money order to their inmate via the USPS
• You may only send letters, money orders, and photographs. Photographs CANNOT be Polaroids or computer generated color photos.
• DO NOT send the following items to inmates: extra stamps, paper, gifts, postcards, or greeting cards. 
• The La Plata County Jail WILL NOT accept these items for inmates.  Any mail with a foreign substance on it, such as, perfume, lipstick, etc... will be returned to the sender.  

You may order newspapers and books from the publisher (or sites like Amazon), which must be mailed directly to the inmate from the publisher/vendor. Books must be new, and paperback only.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the La Plata County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls, however, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area. Phone calls are recorded and may be monitored at any time.

Inmates can purchase phone time via their commissary account. Friends and family members can call Correctional Billing Services (CBS) at 1-800-844-6591 to establish debt accounts and prepaid accounts, receive rate information, verify line status, and remove blocks.

How to Send Money

Friends and family can add money to an inmate's account at the La Plata County Jail by visiting the jail lobby and using the Kiosk machine. It accepts cash, credit card, or debit card.  

You may also call 1-866-232-1899 or visit touchpaydirect.com to put money on an inmate's account (a service fee will be charged). The La Plata County Detention Center's Facility ID is: 781303. The inmate's ID number is also required.  

Another option is to mail a money order directly to the jail that is made payable to the inmate. 

Please be aware if the inmate has a debt balance with the jail, 60% of each deposit is used towards that debt balance and inmates accounts are credited with 40% of the deposit to purchase commissary or phone time until the balance is paid off.

Programs For Inmates

The Detentions Division provides the inmates with counseling, drug and alcohol therapy, educational opportunities, and inmate worker programs, including Work Release. 

However, due to the pandemic the La Plata County Work Release program has been suspended until further notice.

Chaplain Services are provided by the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry.

Pictures of La Plata County Jail

Careers at La Plata County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the La Plata County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the La Plata County Jail, click here.

For more information regarding recruitment and employment at the La Plata County Sheriff's Department, please contact:

Sgt. Adrian O'Haver
Administrative Division
970-382-7045
[email protected]