Welcome to the
The
current jail was opened in 1993, it went from a very outdated 12 bed
facility to a much needed 57 bed facility with a modern security and
control system.
The jail has housed as many as 80 at times, but mostly the population stays around 35 to 45 inmates. Prior to this facility the overflow of inmates had to be housed in other jurisdictions for a fee. Now the Prowers County jail holds it's own inmates and often a small amount of inmates from other jurisdiction that pay fees to Prowers County.
Out of the 31 employees of the Sheriff's Office, 19 are detention staff. The jail is operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Meals, medical care, constant security and all of the other inmate needs are what drives the constant operations.
The staff consists of 3 shifts of 8 hours, working five days with two days off. Each shift is supervised by a Corporal or Sergeant. This staff is managed by a Jail Administrator and an Assistant Administrator. The Detentions Staff received over 38 hours of structured training in 2007. This training includes Supervision techniques, Use of Force, court security, and CPR-First Aid.
The detentions provides one or more employees for
court or courtroom security. While District Court is in session the
court room is secured by stationing one or more deputies to guard the
entrances. Metal detection equipment is used to monitor everyone who
enters the court room, while additional deputies are often posted inside
the court room to guard inmates attending court.
Thanks in large part to the active participation of the County Sheriff's Of Colorado (CSOC); in 2003 legislation was passed shifting the responsibility of paying for inmate health care from the Sheriff's of Colorado to the inmates they house. This legislation requires that treatment for "Self-inflicted" or "Pre-existing" injuries be paid by the inmate rather than by the Sheriff's Office, (Prowers County taxpayers). While The Sheriff's Office must still provide and pay for treatment of injuries or illnesses that do not fall into one of those two categories, this legislation has greatly reduced inmate medical expenses.
Many times throughout the year inmates
from other agencies in Colorado or even in other states must be
transported back to Prowers County. This is the responsibility of the
Prowers County Sheriff's Office and requires that one or more deputies
either deliver or pick up the inmate. Over 28,000 miles were driven in
2007, transporting over 175 inmates. However, because of our involvement
in the "Transports Across Colorado" (TAC), our transport miles were
reduced by approx. 7,000 miles, than what they would have been
otherwise.
TAC was organized by Colorado Sheriff's to communicate and coordinate inmates transports so that the best possible use of personnel and vehicles is obtained and reduces the costs of transportation and extradition. Jail Administrator Randy Morris and Assistant Administrator Ron Manly actively participate in TAC to insure its success.
