Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility

Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility is a Colorado state prison for men located in Ordway, Colorado. It houses a maximum of 1,007 inmates at all security levels.

This facility opened in 1987 and offers inmates educational opportunities, job opportunities, and treatment programs while they are incarcerated to help them better themselves and successfully reintegrate into society.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Before you visit an inmate at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, you must first fill out a visiting application. A parent or guardian needs to complete a Form 300-01G Authorization for Minor Child Visitation if a visitor is under 18. Incomplete applications may be rejected.

If you are traveling a long distance to visit or wish to request an extended visit, you can complete and submit a Special Visitation Application.

All Visiting Applications must be mailed to:

Attention: Visiting Department
Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility
12750 Highway 96
Ordway, CO 81034

Minors must be listed on the application of the legal guardian or immediate family member that will accompany the minor on the visit. Minor children must be named on the Visitor Application, but will not be counted toward the twelve (12) approved visitors. Only one (1) adult name per application will be permitted.

Once you are approved to visit, you must schedule a reservation by calling the visiting department at (719)-267-5137 or e-mailing them at [email protected]

Visiting Hours (General population):

• Friday 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 
• Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EXCEPT the FIRST Saturday of each month. Visiting on the first Saturday of each month will be from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  
• Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Re-entry Pod Offenders receive additional visiting time on Monday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Visiting Hours (Protective Custody Offenders):

• Friday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• The FIRST Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

All visiting with offenders at AVCF must be scheduled by contacting the phone number or email address listed above. Phone calls will be processed between 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and appointments will not be processed more than seven days in advance.

Emails will be processed between 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and the following business day if received after 3 p.m. Emails will be processed in the order they are received and a confirmation will be sent once your request is approved or denied.

The following information will be required in order to process a visit:

• offender’s full name and number
• full name and dates of birth for all visitors

No offender visits will be processed or admitted 90 minutes prior to the end of visiting. The maximum number of visitors for contact is three adults and three minors at a time. The number of persons permitted per visit may be reduced due to security needs and space limitations.

Visitors are allowed to visit on Friday/Saturday or Friday/Sunday of the same week. No visiting is allowed on Saturday/Sunday of the same week. Those visiting offenders assigned to the Re-Entry Pod may visit all four days, Friday through Monday.

The maximum number for reservations taken each visiting day will be 35.

Visitors are required to present a valid picture identification prior to their admission for visiting. Official or picture identification card is not required for visitors under age 18 unless the visitor is an emancipated minor.

All visitors are required to have the back of their right hand stamped with an ultra-violet marker before entry into the facility, by the staff person authorizing entry. The marker stamped on the back of the right hand will be read by a "black light" to establish positive identification prior to authorizing the visitor's departure from the facility. Visiting rules prohibit the resumption of the visit after leaving the facility.

All visitors are required to register upon entry into the facility by completing DC Form 300-01B, Consent to Search Authorization which specifies the circumstances under which visitors may be searched. Visitors must complete this form each time they enter a facility or office.

All persons coming onto the grounds of AVCF, their vehicles, and articles of property in their possession are subject to inspection/search consistent with the security needs of the facility. In the event a visitor refuses to submit to any entrance or visiting procedure, that person will be denied visits and shall be required to leave DOC facility/property immediately.

No food may be brought into a visiting area with the exception of baby food. Baby food containers entering the visiting area must be factory sealed. No open food containers or food without containers will be permitted.

Two (2) baby bottles containing food, water, milk, or juice may be taken into the visiting area for each baby. Diaper bags may be taken into the visiting area with two (2) clean diapers, two (2) baby toys which can be easily checked for contraband, and one (1) change of clothes. The diaper bag must be left under staff supervision.

Visiting area vending machines are for use by visitors to obtain snack food items and beverages while visiting.

You are not allowed to bring books of any kind, pagers, portable telephones, credit cards, cameras or film of any kind, briefcases, cosmetics, prescription drugs (other than the amount needed for the duration of the visit and as noted on the prescription), or other items which require shakedown or search procedures thus causing delay in facilitating visits.

At a minimum, electronic searches using walk-through metal detectors or handheld metal detectors will be used in processing visitors. Pat searches are conducted on as many visitors as time permits upon visitor entry.

A short embrace and appropriate closed mouth kiss may be permitted at the beginning and at the end of each visit. During visits, offenders may hold hands with their visitor.

Clothing Standards

• Visitors are not to wear any garment which exposes cleavage, back, stomach, midriff, and/or underarm.
• The only jewelry or adornment visitors will be permitted to wear into the visiting area is a wedding ring set, one religious necklace pendant, and medical alert badges. Medicine bags are not allowed.  Dermal jewelry implants that cannot be removed by the visitor will be allowed.
• No controversial/objectionable gang, obscene, drug and alcohol designs, messages, or profanity on clothing.
• Hair extensions and/or wigs will be permitted but are subject to search in a respectful and appropriate manner. Hair extensions that are attached to the hair with a clip or comb will not be allowed. Only hair accessories that are soft in  nature will be permitted to be worn inside the visiting area.
• No top or bottom clothing that is solid green or solid orange.
• Shoes are required. Infants are not required to wear shoes until such time as they can walk.  Infants and toddlers who are able to walk must wear shoes at all times during the visit. Minors are allowed to wear shoes that display lights.
• Appropriate undergarments are required and will not be visible.
• Clothing that is sheer or transparent will only be permitted if non-transparent articles are worn beneath and no undergarments (bra or underwear) are visible. Clothing that contains holes and/or rips will not be permitted.
• Outer garments worn on the bottom half of the body must be no shorter than the knee while standing.
• Any clothing worn on the top half of the body must have sleeves and not expose the cleavage line at any time while standing, sitting, and/or bending down.
• Trousers will be worn in the manner intended (no sagging).
• Wrap-around clothing will not be allowed.
• Visitors are not to wear hats into the visiting area, except for religious hats or headgear. Gloves, scarves, or outer garments, such as topcoats, raincoats, jackets, and similar inclement weather attire will not be permitted within the visiting area. No hooded garments will be allowed in the visiting area.
• If a pull over, zipper, or button up sweater is worn, it shall be worn at all times inside the visiting area.  A garment is required to be worn underneath the sweater within the guidelines of this policy
• Leggings and jeggings may only be worn under outer garments that must be no shorter than the knee while standing.

Due to safety and security concerns, food items may not be sent in except through the inmate care package program, which is available through Union Supply Direct at certain times throughout the year. Information regarding this program can be found on their website at https://coinmatepackage.com/.  You may also order through that website during the available order dates.

Otherwise, you may deposit funds to an inmate’s account so they may purchase their own supplemental food items through the Canteen program.

You can also email an inmate using JPay, but first you need to create an account. Before you can send an email you will need the inmate's DOC number. PLEASE NOTE at this time, offenders may only respond to emails via regular U.S. Mail.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at AVCF, but they do have access to phones so they can call you. Colorado Inmate Phone System ( CIPS ) is the phone system used in Colorado correctional facilities.

How to Send Money

The Colorado Department of Corrections partners with three companies – JPay, Western Union, and GTL  – to provide convenient electronic ways to send money to inmates. Money orders and cash sent by mail are not accepted.

There are three general ways to send money to your incarcerated friend or family member:

• Online with a credit or debit card
• Over the phone with a credit or debit card
• In person with cash at locations throughout the country

Money that is sent before 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time will generally be available to the offender the next day. In order to ensure receipt of funds for offender to place a canteen order, it is advised to allow 2-3 days.

Contact the Inmate Bank at (719) 269-4271 if you have questions.

You can use any of the following companies to send money to an inmate at AVCF:

JPAY
Western Union
GTL

​Programs For ​Inmates

• GED
• Basic adult education
• Computer and information technology courses
• Welding
• Construction
• Colorado Correctional Industries (creating furniture, web design, DMV information call center)

Pictures of Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility

Careers at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility

If you are interested in a job at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility, you can find the contact information for a variety of positions on the Colorado Department of Corrections website.