plans underway for the construction of a new combined courthouse and jail facility in colorado

A mostly rural county in central Colorado could soon see the construction of a new justice center, which will house both courtroom and jail facility space.
Located at 505 Harrison Avenue in the city of Leadville, the county’s current justice center, built in 1953, is thought to be outdated and too small for current needs.

In late 2019, the county received $60,000 from Colorado’s Underfunded Courthouse Facility Commission to build a new center. Funding from that commission specifically targets counties with smaller populations and a per capita income below the state’s median.

Other funding for a project that is expected to cost more than $17 million will most likely come from state and local sources.

A design study looking at how the center would work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. That study is looking at how to make more seamless the referral process and movement of inmates, and to what degree the size and layout of the center can facilitate that process.
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County officials have earlier said that they would like to see work begin on the new center, which has been in the talking stage for the last 5 years, sometime in 2021.

​By Garry Boulard

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