The Pitkin County Inmate Population
The local custody count begins with the Pitkin County Jail, also called the Pitkin County Detention Facility in county materials. The jail is operated by the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office and serves adult men and women who are held before court, serving short jail sentences, or waiting for transfer to the Colorado Department of Corrections after a state-prison sentence. County copy also notes that people held before conviction are presumed innocent, so a jail listing should be read as custody data, not proof of guilt.
Pitkin County has one official county detention facility in the facility map. No Colorado DOC prison, Bureau of Prisons facility, or ICE detention center was found inside Pitkin County in the official sources reviewed. That matters because the Pitkin County inmate population shown by the county roster is only one slice of custody. A person arrested in Aspen or elsewhere in Pitkin County may start on the county current-inmates report, move through the 9th Judicial District court process, and later appear in the state DOC locator if the sentence sends the person to prison.
Pitkin County Inmate Population Statistics
The most defensible Pitkin County jail population figures come from state and county sources rather than commercial jail directories. A 2017 Colorado Legislative Council county jail memo listed Pitkin's jail capacity at 22 beds and daily population at 16 based on a Colorado Counties Inc. survey. The older Pitkin County Jail staffing plan reported an average daily population under 16 for the prior 10 years. The public current-inmates PDF generated on June 1, 2026 showed total occupancy of 7.
Pitkin's small resident base can make jail-rate comparisons misleading. The county's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report listed a 2020 census population of 17,358, but also said daily population can swell to about 53,000 with workers, second homeowners, and visitors. A small jail count can still serve a much larger day-to-day public-safety population in Aspen, Snowmass Village, Basalt, and the surrounding resort area.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated jail capacity | 22 beds | Colorado Legislative Council memo, 2017 |
| Daily population in survey | 16 people | Colorado Legislative Council memo, 2017 |
| Current public roster occupancy | 7 people | Pitkin current-inmates PDF, June 1, 2026 |
| Prior 10-year average daily population | Less than 16 | Pitkin County Jail staffing plan, updated 2014 |
| Jail management system | SPILLMAN | Colorado DCJ Summary of County Jail Data, 2020 |
Pitkin County Inmate Population Trends
The long-term Pitkin County inmate population trend is low and fairly stable in the official figures available. The 2001 through 2010 operating indicators in county financial reporting ranged from 14 to 21 average daily population. The jail staffing plan later said the prior 10-year average was under 16. The 2017 state survey again listed 16. The June 1, 2026 current roster showed 7 people, which is a point-in-time count rather than a full annual average.
| Year / Period | ADP or Count | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 18 | Pitkin County 2010 ACFR operating indicators |
| 2002 | 21 | Highest value in the 2001-2010 series captured in research |
| 2003-2005 | 14 | Each year listed at 14 in operating indicators |
| 2006-2010 | 15-17 | Five-year range from county operating indicators |
| 2017 survey | 16 | Colorado Legislative Council / CCI survey |
| June 1, 2026 | 7 | Current public-roster occupancy |
Pitkin County Jail Population Makeup
The public Pitkin County current-inmates PDF supports only a narrow demographic view. It shows name, age, sex, booking date, offense label, bond amount, and total occupancy. It does not publish race, ethnicity, height, weight, arresting agency, charge class, housing unit, mental-health status, or a structured pretrial-versus-sentenced field. On the June 1, 2026 report, seven rows were visible, with five male rows and two female rows, and ages ranging from 25 to 62.
The jail administration page gives the broader custody categories. Pitkin holds lawfully charged pretrial detainees, people committed and sentenced by the courts, and sentenced Department of Corrections inmates until transfer. The staffing plan says the jail houses both male and female adult offenders and uses objective classification after intake. If the roster label says "Sentenced," that is still a jail custody label unless the court and DOC locator confirm a state-prison sentence and transfer.
- Pretrial custody: People held after arrest or court order before final case outcome.
- Jail sentences: Shorter local commitments remain part of the county jail population.
- DOC transfer cases: Sentenced prison inmates may remain temporarily in Pitkin custody before transfer.
- Public demographics: The roster shows age and sex, but not race, ethnicity, or housing unit.
Pitkin County Jail Capacity
The official capacity figure found in research is the 22-bed capacity listed in the 2017 state legislative memo. Some non-official jail directories use different numbers, but the build relies on official and high-authority sources. The same 2017 table listed a daily population of 16. Older staffing-plan material described an average daily population under 16 and tied that small count to a direct-supervision model where officers work closely with people housed in the jail.
No official Pitkin County jail overcrowding litigation, consent decree, DOJ investigation, or recent death-in-custody page was found in the official sources reviewed. Colorado's statewide jail standards become a current governance issue in 2026, but those standards should not be treated as evidence of a local Pitkin violation. The staffing plan stated that, as of that plan, there were no judicial, federal, or oversight findings of inadequacy associated with the facility.
Pitkin County Inmate Data Laws
Colorado law gives the public several routes to jail, court, and criminal justice records, but those routes are not all the same. The Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act governs many sheriff, police, and booking records, while the county's CORA page warns not to use the general CORA form for law-enforcement records. Court records after a jail arrest use the Colorado Judicial Branch, not the jail roster.
Key statutes:
C.R.S. 24-72-301 to 309 governs Colorado criminal justice records and official action records.
C.R.S. 17-26-118 requires county jail daily records and quarterly reporting of custody data.
Colorado jail standards take effect July 1, 2026 and cover intake, classification, health, safety, and conditions.
C.R.S. 16-4-102 and 16-4-104 govern bond hearings and bond types set by the court.
Search Pitkin County Inmates
The official public custody source is the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office current-inmates report. It is a PDF summary report, not an interactive web database. There is no last-name box, no booking-number field, no profile page, and no released-inmate tab. Use the PDF viewer or browser find feature if a name must be located inside the report. If the name is not listed, the next step is the jail information line or the correct outside locator.
- Open the current-inmates report from the Pitkin County jail page.
- Scan the PDF rows or use find within the PDF viewer for a last name.
- Compare name, age, sex, and booking date because the report does not show date of birth.
- Read the offense and bond columns as preliminary jail-status information only.
- If the person is not listed, call the jail, contact PCSO Records, check VINE, or use CDOC, BOP, or ICE as the custody type requires.
Pitkin County Current Inmate Lookup
The Pitkin County inmate population lookup surface is intentionally thin. The PDF report is free and public, but it does not expose search filters. The report inspected on June 1, 2026 had a generated report line, a current-bookings scope, and columns for the fields below. It did not publish mugshots, booking numbers, dates of birth, charge statutes, case numbers, court dates, housing units, or release dates.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | PDF column | n/a | Last name first, with first name and middle initial when available. |
| Age | PDF column | n/a | Age only, not full date of birth. |
| Sex | PDF column | n/a | Single-letter marker, with M and F observed. |
| Booking Date | PDF column | n/a | MM/DD/YY format observed. |
| Offense | PDF column | n/a | Short label, not a full statutory charge list. |
| Bonds | PDF column | n/a | Numeric amount only, with no type or condition detail. |
The official Pitkin County Jail page links the current-inmates report and describes the jail's local custody role. The screenshot below shows the county jail page and its inmate-related links.
The county page is useful because it connects the roster, jail administration, visitation, VINE, bond, and facility rules in one official Pitkin County source.
Past Pitkin County Inmate Records
The public current-inmates report is not a historical booking archive. Research did not find a released-inmates list, profile history, or roster retention schedule on the official Pitkin jail pages. For older sheriff arrest information, use the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office Records Department and its Criminal Arrest Records Search form. That form costs $7 per search, returns only a list of arrests on file with PCSO, and states that no police records will be provided. It is not a statewide background check.
Records routing must stay agency-specific. The Pitkin County CORA page says not to use the general county CORA link for law-enforcement records. For PCSO records, contact sheriff records. For Aspen Police records, use the Aspen Police criminal-justice-records process. For court charges after a jail arrest, use the Colorado Judicial Branch docket and records request process.
Pitkin County Jail vs Prison
Pitkin County's own jail page explains the jail-versus-prison distinction. Jails handle short-term and presentence custody, while prisons hold people convicted and sentenced for longer terms. That distinction drives every inmate population search. A new Aspen arrest belongs first in the county current-inmates report. A sentenced state-prison inmate belongs in the Colorado Department of Corrections offender search after transfer. Federal and immigration custody use separate federal tools.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County jail | Current-inmates PDF | Current local bookings, pretrial custody, short jail terms, DOC transfer holds. |
| Colorado state prison | CDOC offender search | Sentenced DOC inmates, prison facility, convictions, and release data. |
| Federal prison | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present, not local jail detainees. |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS | ICE custody, usually outside the Pitkin County facility map. |
Pitkin County Detention Facilities
The official facility map for Pitkin County has one county jail. Work release is not a separate active Pitkin County facility because the county work-release page says the local program closed July 1, 2023, with authorized services routed through Garfield County Criminal Justice Services. The jail FAQ also contains a current mail-routing caveat tied to Garfield County housing and mail processing, so contact the jail before sending mail or relying on older address practices.
- Pitkin County Jail - county jail operated by the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office for adult pretrial detainees, short-sentence inmates, and sentenced DOC inmates awaiting transfer.
Pitkin County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Pitkin County inmate population?
Official figures show a small county jail population. The 2017 state legislative memo listed 22 beds and daily population of 16. The June 1, 2026 current-inmates report showed total occupancy of 7. Those figures use different methods, so treat the PDF count as a current snapshot and the 2017 table as a capacity and survey reference.
Can the Pitkin County roster be searched by name?
The roster is a PDF current-inmates report, not a searchable database. Use the browser or PDF viewer find feature for a name, then verify by age, sex, and booking date. If the report does not give enough detail, call the jail or contact PCSO Records.
Does the Pitkin County roster show mugshots?
No. The official current-inmates PDF does not show booking photos, profile pages, or a recent-bookings gallery. The Pitkin County jail mugshots page explains the records-request path and Colorado booking-photo law.
Where do state prison inmates from Pitkin County appear?
After a Pitkin County case results in a DOC sentence and the person is transferred, the county roster may no longer list that person. Use the Colorado DOC offender search for sentenced state-prison custody.
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