Congressman Doug Lamborn visits El Paso County Jail, meets with veterans

For the first time, 5th Congressional District Representative Doug Lamborn took a tour through the El Paso County Jail.

After a small presentation, the tour started with the booking process followed a by a look at the wards holding more than 1,500 inmates.

Congressman Lamborn was taken into several high security wards, where inmates were kept in their cells. Many of these inmates yelled out at the tour participants.

"There are a lot more people here than I realized, both behind the walls and the staff that do all the duties necessary for the housing of the people," the Congressman said.

The El Paso County Jail is the largest in the state; two-thirds of its inmates are being held while they await their trials.

Lamborn's largest focus was on the veteran ward, where inmates who previously served in the armed forces are held.

"They sometimes have special needs based on PTSD," said Lamborn. "So being able to treat that population differently from everyone else, I think makes a lot of sense."

Congressman Lamborn wants to address the gap in federal benefits for inmates, which stop once an inmate enters jail, specifically for veterans who lose VA access.

"The federal government unfortunately does not bridge that gap well," he said. "When people walk in these doors, they lose all of their federal benefits including VA benefits, and the local taxpayer picks those up."

The Congressman sat with several veterans and answered their questions before leaving the facility.

The entire ward performed their 22 push-up routine they conduct on a daily basis. It's in remembrance of the 22 veterans who die everyday.