ALAMOSA — SLV Board of Commissioners met on Monday morning to discuss the feasibility of building a jail to service the needs of the entire San Luis Valley.  Currently, only three counties have detention centers, including Alamosa, Conejos and Rio Grande, and Rio Grande’s jail needs significant repairs. 

The idea for expanded facilities was born out of a need for Rio Grande County jail to have extensive repairs, especially in the part of the jail that is 75 years old. When Sheriff Anne Robinson began researching funding opportunities, it seemed that having a “regional” system might be one of the more likely ways to bring in additional funds. 

From what was said in the meeting, that interest then led to the idea of an actual regional facility serving the west side of the valley and, possibly, a facility serving the east side of the valley. 

The first challenges brought up included the price tag of building a new facility, building that facility to meet evolving – and more difficult – standards plus staffing issues. There was also a concern about liability. The logistics involved in getting inmates from counties across the valley to court could be a major challenge. Also, the need for diversified facilities to house men, women, violent and non-violent plus trans populations was also a challenge. 

Alamosa County Sheriff Robert Jackson said the Alamosa County Detention Center was designed with some federal standards in mind and, in areas where they don’t meet standards, there’s the belief the jail could get a waiver. 

But Jackson said he was not interested in a Valley wide system. “Alamosa is running well with 134 beds and currently 75 inmates,” he said. 

Some resource sharing currently exists. Rio Grande and Alamosa have a strong relationship working together with Rio Grande, also taking in prisoners from Saguache and Mineral counties. Conejos has its own jail, and Costilla County transports its prisoners to Archuleta County. 

As the idea of a new facility being built seemed to take a back seat in the discussion, there was greater focus on resource sharing across counties.  

Sheriff Jackson said Alamosa has the facilities and would help, but it would be a complex situation “if we had to do it. It would also require all the sheriffs to sit down and work it out.”  

At the end of the meeting, that was the action plan. For the sheriffs to get together, largely under the direction of Alamosa County Sheriff Jackson, to take a closer look at how resources can best and most efficiently be shared.