Denver’s downtown jail is at the center of sheriff’s major problems
Ten years ago, Denver city officials persuaded voters to approve funding for a $378 million justice center that included a modern downtown jail. The sales pitch promised relief for a crowded jail on Smith Road and pledged to manage the expanded number of inmate beds without increasing the Denver Sheriff Department staff. But nearly four years after the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center opened its doors on Colfax Avenue, those promises have fallen through.