Youthful Offender System

The Youthful Offender System is a maximum-security Colorado state prison located in Pueblo, Colorado for male and female inmates between the ages of 14 and 25. All of the inmates at YOS committed their crime between the ages of 14 and 19 and were sentenced before their 21st birthday. They have been convicted of a felony and sentenced as adults.

A judge must recommend an inmate for the YOS system. Anyone sentenced as a juvenile or through the Department of Youth Services system will not be part of the Youth Offender System. To determine if an inmate is eligible for YOS, the judge will look at their age and potential for rehabilitation.

A YOS inmate can receive a sentence between two and seven years, regardless of the original charge. It has the lowest recidivism rate in the Colorado state prison system, which is 20 percent. More than 80 percent of YOS inmates leave with a high school diploma.

The daily regimen at YOS includes physical training, self-discipline exercises, educational and work programs, and meaningful interaction. The inmates also receive instruction on problem-solving skills and are given the opportunity to gradually re-enter the community.

The youthful offender system in Colorado was established to provide young offenders an alternative option to the department of corrections prison system. The YOS is supposed to provide a controlled and regimented environment separate from the adult prison population. 

The YOS has a Parent Association which is comprised of family members of residents currently in the facility. They are a non-profit organization with no direct affiliation with the Colorado Department of Corrections.  The Association is self-supported, meaning they do fundraising in order to acquire funds for events and activities for the young men and woman at YOS.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Before you can visit an inmate at Youthful Offender System, you must first fill out a visiting application.  All visits under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian complete a Form 300-01G Authorization for Minor Child Visitation. The Colorado Department of Corrections will reject your application if it is not filled out completely or if you didn’t know the inmate prior to their incarceration.

Visiting Application must be mailed to

Attention: Visiting Department
Youthful Offender System
1300 West 13th Street
Pueblo, CO 81003

Or, you can email it to: 
[email protected]

Appointments for offender visiting are required and may be arranged by calling (719) 583-5714 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday, at least one week (7 days) prior to the requested visitation date, but no more than two weeks (14 days) in advance. Offender name, DOC number, Visitor name and date of birth, and relationship to offender are required when scheduling visits.

Appointments may also be arranged by email at [email protected] and they will be processed between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday. 

E-mails received after 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday will be processed on the following Thursday. E-mails will be processed in the order they are received. A reply confirmation email will be sent once the visit has been approved or denied. 

Visitors that schedule appointments are given a confirmation number. When making an Email appointment, please include the offender's name and DOC #, the name of the person visiting, and a contact phone number. 

Visits will not be scheduled during visiting hours or at the conclusion of a visiting session. Only adult visitors may schedule visits and only the person scheduling the visit or the offender may cancel a visit.

YOS Contact Visiting Schedule:

Day                   Processing          Visiting Session    Visiting Location

Friday AM         8:15 to 10:15       8:30 to 11:30       Building Four
Friday PM         1:15 to 3:45          1:30 to 4:30         Building Four

Saturday AM     8:15 to 10:15       8:30 to 11:30      Building Four
Saturday PM     1:15 to 3:45         1:30 to 4:30         Building Four

Sunday AM        8:15 to 10:15       8:30 to 11:30      Building Four
Sunday PM        1:15 to 3:45         1:30 to 4:30        Building Four

Offenders are allowed up to five visits per weekend depending on their Status level.

Status levels are as follows:

• Special Management:  Offenders on Special Management Status may request special visits through the Operations Manager.
• Restricted Privileges (RP):  Offenders on RP will be allowed to participate in one (1) visiting session per weekend on FRIDAY ONLY with up to 3 visitors.
• Orientation/Peer Level:  Offenders on Orientation/Peer status will be allowed to participate in one (1) visit per weekend with up to 3 visitors.
• Positive Peer:  Offenders on Positive Peer status will be allowed to participate in two (2) visits per weekend with up to 3 visitors. 
• Pledge:  Offenders on Pledge status will be allowed to participate in three (3) visits per weekend with up to 4 visitors.
• Phoenix:  Offenders on Phoenix status will be allowed to participate in up to five (5) visiting sessions per weekend with up to 5 visitors.
• Phase II:  Offenders assigned to Phase II will retain visiting privileges based upon their Phase I status level at time of Phase II placement.

Offenders who lose their visiting privileges are responsible to notify any and all possible visitors.

Violence Reduction Program (VRP): Offenders on VRP will be allowed to participate in one (1) visiting session per 30 days on FRIDAY ONLY with up to 5 visitors.

Loss of Privileges (LOP): Offenders on LOP will be allowed to participate in visiting sessions per their status level or according to COPD sanctions specific to visiting on FRIDAY ONLY. Processing will take place between 8:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. for morning visiting sessions.  Processing for afternoon visiting sessions will take place from 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

One, three-hour session equals one visit.

Additional visits are rewarded on a status level. 

Due to size, limitations of only five visitors (maximum of three adults) may visit an offender during a visiting period. Minors count towards the five visitors.

Offenders are responsible for notifying visitors of their visiting status.

Visiting staff will notify the offender of the status of visitor’s applications.

There will be no visiting on legal holidays unless they fall on normal visiting days.

Visitor Entry, Searches, and Procedures

A current photo ID is required for admission into the visiting room. Acceptable forms of identification include a driver’s license, state ID card, passport, or military ID.

When you arrive for a visit, you will be searched and you must walk through a metal detector.  You will also have the back of your right hand stamped with an ultra-violet marker before entry into YOS. The stamp is read by a "black light" before you leave the facility, and once you leave the visiting room you can’t go back in.

You are allowed to bring money to buy food and drinks from the vending machines. You will be allowed to buy these items for the inmate you are visiting.

Please leave cell phones, smart watches, tablets, and laptops in your vehicle because they do not allow electronic devices in the visiting room.

It’s best to leave everything except your Photo ID, keys, and money for the vending machines in your vehicle. 

You are not allowed to wear jewelryㅡwith the exception of a wedding ring setㅡand all wigs and hair extensions are subject to a search.

Dress Code

Remember to dress conservatively when visiting an inmate. If you do not follow the dress code, you will be denied your visit. Keep it modest, and don’t wear anything that resembles what the inmates wear.

All mail must include:

• The inmate’s name
• The inmate’s DOC number 
• Your return address

Mailroom staff will reject anything containing contraband, cash, personal checks, or money orders. You are also not allowed to use envelopes that are padded or made of plastic or cardboard.

Do not send Polaroid pictures, postage stamps, stamped envelopes, blank stationery, blank writing paper, blank cards, blank postcards, or blank personal journals. Any mail containing these items will be rejected.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Youthful Offender System, but they can make outgoing calls during daytime hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Colorado, please click here.

How to Send Money

You can send money to an inmate at YOS by using either JPay, Western Union, or GTL. If you are using a debit or credit card, you can send money online or by phone. The only way to send cash is by visiting a Western Union location. 

Click on one of the links below to set up an account and start sending money right away.

• JPAY
• Western Union
• GTL

​Programs For ​Inmates

• GED and adult basic education
• Anger management
• Sex offender treatment
• Vocational programs in automotive, electronics, computers, business, construction, custodial, and barber

Pictures of Youthful Offender System

Careers at Youthful Offender System

If you are interested in a job at Youthful Offender System, you can find available positions at the Colorado Department of Corrections website.