La Plata County Commissioners toured the La Plata County Jail on Monday and received an update on jail-related issues. The primary takeaway: The jail needs more space and additional funding.
La Plata County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Mitch Higgins, who oversees the county jail, guided commissioners through the facility as he provided updates on the ongoing upgrades, cost-saving measures, and the jail’s ability to meet Colorado’s new jail standards.
Under state law, commissioners are required to conduct annual inspections of jail facilities.
A major focus of the tour was Colorado’s new jail standards, set to take effect in 2026. Under House Bill 24-1054, all county jails must comply with statewide standards designed to improve the health, safety and rights of incarcerated individuals, as well as working conditions for jail staff.
Meeting these new state standards will be one of the biggest changes and challenges for the jail, Higgins said. However, he expressed optimism about the facility’s preparedness.
“I think we are leading the pack,” Higgins said.
County Commissioner Matt Salka echoed this statement, noting that the Sheriff’s Office has been proactive in staying ahead of statewide requirements.
A state jail standards inspection committee is scheduled to audit the jail over the summer to identify any necessary updates.
“I think we are really, really close,” Higgins said. “If there's changes, they're going to be small.”
However, the commissioners and Higgins agreed that if large-scale changes are required, the county’s tight budget could present a significant challenge.
The new standards require jails to separate the inmates by the severity of their crimes. While La Plata County has, for the most part, been doing this, the lack of space and shortage of funds has restricted its ability to house female inmates by classification.
“That's probably what smaller facilities struggle with the most, is classifications and being able to have enough space to classify them properly and to keep them separately,” Higgins said.
As of Wednesday, 134 inmates were being held at the jail. Higgins estimated around 24 of them were women. The discrepancy in the ratio of male to female inmates contributes to the space issue. There are now far more female prisoners than the jail was initially built to accommodate, but since they compose less than a quarter of the total inmate population, rearranging the cell blocks is not a viable option, an officer said.
Currently, the jail has only one cell block with a single shared common area for female inmates. To address this in the short term, the facility will begin separating female inmates by floor. Those with lesser charges, such as petty theft, will be housed on one floor, while those facing more serious charges, such as assault, will be on another. Their common area time will be split, with each group getting access for half the day.
While Higgins assured the commissioners that female inmates would still receive the state-mandated amount of recreation time, he acknowledged that they would be getting less than their male counterparts.
The only way to fix the inequity is through renovations – which would require more funds than currently available, said County Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton.
An estimated $11 million in improvements are needed for the jail, but “we have a thin checkbook to do all of this on,” she said.
And the jail needs to implement several facility and service upgrades over the next year.
They have a contract to have the washer and driers replaced, a much needed improvement. Officers said the machines catch on fire several times a year.
Plans to replace the freezer and refrigerators also need to be made.
In 2025, the jail is transitioning to a food service program provided by Summit Correctional Services. The program will save close to $300,000, by lowering the cost of food, and eliminating the need to employ full time kitchen staff.
Higgins said since food programs like Summit operate in so many locations, they are able to buy food in bulk, drastically lowering the cost.
He confirmed the three employees would be let ago but said they may have the chance to resume their employment under Summit.
“Usually, when companies come in like this, the first thing they want to do is they want to interview the people that are currently working at the agency,” Higgins said, pointing to the medical contract with Southern Health Partners as an example.
10 years ago when Southern Health Partners took over, all of the jail’s nurses were granted interviews, but none of them ended up being hired by the company.
The jail also applied for a grant that would increase the money they can allocate for Axis Health System mental health professionals at the jail, an officer said.
The grant would increase mental health funding from $630,000 to $648,000 and Axis staff would receive a 3% raise.
Additionally, the jail’s security system, which includes video surveillance, door control and AI capabilities, will be expanded in the coming year. Cameras will be installed around the La Plata County Courthouse and all county buildings. They will then be integrated into the current security and surveillance system, Higgins said.
Outside the intake facility, Higgins ended the tour on a high note, informing the commissioners that the jail was almost fully staffed – a significant improvement. For the past few years, the jail had consistently been short by about 10 staff members he said.
An officer said working in the detention center is particularly difficult when compared to patrol because a majority of the interactions the staff has with the inmates are emotionally taxing.
“Its like being in a pressure cooker for 12 hours,” he said.
Higgins said the staff has been working on creating a good work environment – to which he attributes the increase in staff members.
jbowman@durangoherald.org
