Buena Vista Correctional Facility

Buena Vista Correctional Facility is a state prison for men located in Buena Vista, Colorado. It has a maximum capacity of 1,259 inmates, making it one of the state’s largest correctional facilities. 

The BVCF is a medium-security facility that is part of the Buena Vista Correctional Complex. On the grounds, there is also the Buena Vista Minimum Center (BVMC) and the Colorado Correctional Alternative Program (CCAP), which is a boot camp.

The BVMC is a pre-release facility for minimum-security inmates who will soon be released from custody.

This prison was founded in 1892, which makes it the second-oldest prison in Colorado. When it was first opened, it was called the Colorado State Reformatory for juvenile offenders. It is located approximately one mile south of Buena Vista, Colorado, in the shadow of the Collegiate Peaks Mountain Range.

The main facility (BVCF) consists of five housing units: Segregation, Admission & Orientation, South Unit, East Unit, and North Unit. The segregation unit houses administrative segregation, punitive segregation, hold close, removal from population, and mental health observation inmates.

Admission and Orientation houses newly received inmates, restricted privileges inmates, and general population.The other three units inside the main facility house general population inmates and provide a parity of conditions. An internal incentive program is utilized in these units. The BVCC main facility houses close, medium, and minimum custody inmates in the general population.

BVMC is situated within the security perimeter fence of the complex. The minimum center consists of three multi-story housing units, new programs, administrative/security buildings, and recreation facilities.

This unit supplies Correctional Work Program (CWP) inmates to the surrounding communities to provide a myriad of services. In addition, the CWP sign shop fabricates signs for multiple agencies. The program saves the taxpayers of Chaffee, Lake, and park counties over $600,000 per year, based on in-kind services.

The BVCC mission is to provide a lawful, secure, correctional framework within an environment of humane treatment and professionally applied standards and procedures; to provide offenders with programs that enhance management control and provide self improvement opportunities to assist them in becoming law abiding citizens; to provide continuing improving quality of services to all stakeholders.

The complex has a proud heritage of attracting quality, highly professional staff at all levels. The management believes in empowering staff in the decision making process and in the effectiveness of a culturally diverse workforce.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Before you visit an inmate at Buena Vista Correctional Complex, 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          or        ​​Attention: Visiting Department
Buena Vista Correctional Facility                  Buena Vista Minimum Center
P.O. Box 2017                                                    P.O. Box 2005
Buena Vista, CO 81211                                   Buena Vista, CO 81211

All visits at Buena Vista are by appointment only. To make an appointment,

Call: (719) 395-7249
or
Email: [email protected]

Call Monday-Thursday from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. to make your appointment. Calls will not be accepted after 3:00 p.m.

When making an Email appointment, please include the offender's name and DOC #, the name of the person visiting, and a contact phone number.  Buena Vista accepts Email appointments until 3:00pm on Thursday.

Hours (BVCF):

Visitors may arrive beginning at 8:30 a.m. Visiting begins at 9 a.m. No visitor admittance from 10:30 a.m. until count is cleared. Admittance to visiting ends at 12:30 p.m.

Friday9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sunday9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Hours (BVMC):

Visitors may arrive beginning at 8:30 a.m. Visiting begins at 9 a.m. No visitor admittance from 10:30 a.m. until count is cleared. Admittance to visiting ends at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sunday9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The dress code is strictly enforced for BVCC visits, and it is as follows:

• 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.   

You must have a photo ID to visit an inmate at Buena Vista. When you are processed, you will receive a hand stamp, be searched, and go through a metal detector. All items of contraband found on a visitor during a search will be immediately seized.

You are not allowed to bring books of any kind, pagers, 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.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Buena Vista, but they can call you collect during daytime hours. To set up an account to receive collect calls from an inmate, you must visit www.connectnetwork.com or call  1-800-483-8314. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Colorado, please click here.

How to Send Money

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

• 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 orders and cash sent by mail are not accepted. Contact the Inmate Bank at (719) 269-4271 if you have questions.

Click on one of the links below to send money to an inmate at Buena Vista:

• JPAY
• Western Union
• GTL

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Adult basic education and GED courses are available at BVCF and BVMC.
• BVCF offers welding, construction, auto repair, computer courses, and more
• BVMC offers a CISCO certified network class.
• The correctional industries offered at BVCF are a saddle and leather shop, as well as fish hatchery which produces 225,000 trout annually.
• The BVMC offers correctional industry programs in wildfire fighters, trail, and heavy equipment crews, and working with canine units.

Pictures of Buena Vista Correctional Facility

Careers at Buena Vista Correctional Facility

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