Inside the Montezuma County Detention Center, deputies move through the corridors in rubber-soled boots while inmates wear machine-washable orange Crocs.
Men’s uniforms are color‑coded by security level, and the building carries a faint scent of the two large canisters of bleach used daily to keep it clean.
Behind locked hallways and reinforced glass, staff book new arrestees, monitor housing units, prepare meals, manage laundry, coordinate transports and support visits with attorneys, families and health providers.
Sometimes you hear fluorescent lights buzz or metal doors clank. Other times you catch sergeants’ radio talk. Sometimes it is eerily silent.
Running it all is technicians, nurses, administrators and the staff of deputies who train more than 640 hours before their first day on the job.
Beneath that routine, staff members are working through sweeping changes required under House Bill 22‑1063 and House Bill 24‑1054. The roughly 250 new rules govern medical care, sanitation, staffing levels and overall jail operations.
For a rural detention center already managing staffing shortages, the changes are immense for funding, administration and day-to-day operations.
“It's everything from booking to holding, substance use or any other medical conditions for arrestees, it is very extensive,” said Sheriff Steve Nowlin.
“It takes people to do this. Just trying to get deputies with what we pay, it isn't enough.”
The detention center has 104 beds and averaged about 75 inmates in 2024. Many people are held briefly, with frequent same‑day releases.
Lt. Vici Pierce, the detention center supervisor, said the standards will guide jails for years to come. Pierce, Nowlin, staff Sgt. Tommy Endres, Sgt. Melissa Curley and Sgt. Heather Stowe are reviewing each rule, rewriting policies, entering procedures in the state’s compliance portal and identifying where variances may be necessary.
“I think the new standards are good and will direct us in the future, and then its just about how we have to comply, and we are doing with what we got,” she said.
The law does not provide new funding, but jails may apply for temporary or permanent variances when compliance is not feasible.
Nowlin noted that the existing facility cannot meet some requirements, including certain holding‑cell dimensions and Americans with Disabilities Act design specifications. While the building was not originally constructed with rehabilitation in mind, the standards will help create statewide consistency and shape future jail designs.
A staffing report completed by KRW Associates in 2025 warned that the understaffed jail may struggle to comply with the requirements. The report recommends a comprehensive study to determine how many employees are needed to safely run the jail under the new rules.
The Sheriff’s Office currently has 31 full‑time sworn positions.
Budget planning for the next fiscal year typically begins in June or July, but Nowlin said he hopes to start those discussions earlier. The Sheriff’s Office expects to need an additional $40,000 for the Lexipol policy‑management platform, which can help organize and automate compliance tasks. Staff plan to meet with Lexipol representatives on March 25.
Meanwhile, county commissioners intend to ask voters in November to approve a 1% sales‑tax measure that would direct 60% of the revenue to the Sheriff’s Office and 40% to the road and bridge department.
The detention center serves the city, Montezuma County, Dolores County and the municipal courts. Although inmates can be held up to three years, most are awaiting trial.
House Bill 22-1063 emphasized that pretrial detention should not feel like punishment. A commission of stakeholders tasked with writing the standards years ago emphasized that people awaiting trial should be regarded as innocent until proven guilty – a key distinction in pretrial detention.
Many who enter the jail face mental health conditions or are waiting for placement in the state psychiatric hospital. People with disabilities, people of color, people with low‑income backgrounds and the unhoused population are disproportionately represented. Staff members often become familiar with people who cycle repeatedly through the facility.
The rules aim to balance legal and human rights with the need to maintain safety for inmates, staff and visitors. Pierce provided one example: Detainees may have the right to bring in a prayer rug for religious practice, but staff must consider that the rug could conceal contraband such as weapons or drugs.
Technology and medical care account for some of the most significant upgrades.
A full‑body scanner now allows deputies to detect concealed items within minutes during intake.
Under the new rules, the Southern Health Partners places medical providers on‑site for eight‑hour shifts, a requirement that Nowlin called costly but essential for compliance.
“The biggest thing is having in-house medical providers, it is a big step but it costs a lot of money. We have to have that in order for us to meet compliance,” Nowlin said.
Nowlin said there’s a long list of topics areas, including pages and pages of rules dedicated to food service alone.
Just this year, the county began contracting with Summit Food Service to provide meals, a change officials say is more efficient because the company maintains its own compliance standards.
For the staff charged with running the jail, the mission remains steady: Ensure safety while recognizing the complicated realities faced by the people who move through the facility.
“While the new standards are aimed at improving care for inmates, we also want to make sure victims, their families and the safety of the broader community are not forgotten,” Pierce said.
awatson@the‑journal.com
