Problems persist for Pueblo County jail

Overcrowding and maintenance issues continue to be a problem at the Pueblo County Jail.

But a solution could be on the way soon for the almost 40-year-old detention center.

The exterior of the Pueblo County Jail stands strong, but a look inside, tells a different story.

“Because there’s so much overcrowding in the jail we put what we call boats on the sides and that adds additional bed space in all of these,” Operations Captain Leroy Moora said.

The jail was built to hold about 500 inmates, on average it holds 700.

Cells in the tower are meant to hold one person, but right now, three inmates are inside. This is just a glimpse at the overcrowding that takes place here every day. And then there are maintenance concerns. As buckets have been placed around the building , some in the middle of cells, to catch water from the ceiling.

“We are constantly playing catch-up not only in budget but in equipment and manpower,” Pueblo County Facilities Manager Sean Tapia said.

Tapia brought these concerns before county commissioners, saying maintenance simply can’t keep up with the demands of the old building.

“As things break, as systems break we rush over to patch them get them operational again so that the business as usual of the jail doesn’t stop,” Tapia said.

The elevators are an ongoing problem at the jail. Because of their age, when one quits working, the broken pieces can’t be replaced.

And the list goes on.

But a solution won’t be fast or cheap, so the county has hired a local architectural firm to asses the situation.

“Help us get a grip on what the condition of the jail is right now,” Pueblo County Commissioner Terry Hart said.

While these problems aren’t new or unique to Pueblo County, they’re not going away.

“This is going on across the state,” Hart said. “And I don’t think it is disconnected from the fact that the state is seeing a reduction in their population in their prison, at the same time counties are seeing this incredible growth in the population.”

But the county is holding out hope for an economical fix.

“We would have a brand new jail built from scratch,” Tapia said.

An assessment from the architects is expected by the end of this year. Once that assessment is in the hands of the county, recommendations can be made to either maintain the existing jail or build a new one.