How to Find Recently Released El Paso County Inmates
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office does not post a stand-alone "recently released" list. Release data lives inside the standard jail roster. When a person was held at the Criminal Justice Center, their booking record can show a release date inside the Charges table. The renderer on the public page hides the placeholder value 01/01/1900. If a real release date is set on the charge row, it appears in plain text. The faster route is often a phone call to the jail booking desk at 719-390-2151. The jail general number is 719-390-2000.
To check the roster, open the EPSO inmate search page and enter the last name. If the person no longer comes up in results, they may have been released, bonded out, sent to CDOC, or moved to a federal facility. Each option points to a different next step. The Sheriff's records and video request page handles formal requests for older jail records under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act.
The image below is from the EPSO inmate services page. View the source at EPSO inmate services.
Note: A booking record that drops off the public roster is not always proof of release; the booking desk at 719-390-2151 can confirm a release in real time.
Setting Up El Paso County Release Notifications
Colorado VINE sends free alerts when a person's custody status changes. The system is run statewide and connects to county jails like the El Paso County CJC and to the Colorado Department of Corrections. Alerts cover release, transfer, escape, and death. Sign-up is free, anonymous, and 24/7/365. The offender is not told that someone signed up. Notifications can be sent by phone, email, text message, or TTY. Registrants are reached within minutes of a status change.
The matching public-facing search is on VINELink, which lets a user search by name and pick Colorado as the state. The screenshot below comes from VINELink's national search page. View the live tool at vinelink.com.
VINELink is the front door for the national VINE network. The Colorado FAQ at colorado-vine.com explains the state's role.
- Open vinelink.com in any browser.
- Pick Colorado as the state. Choose Offender or Inmate Search.
- Enter the last name, or paste in an offender ID if one is known.
- Confirm the match by date of birth or facility shown in the result.
- Click Register and pick the alert method: phone, email, text, or TTY.
- Enter a 4-digit PIN; the system uses it to confirm receipt during phone alerts.
Searching State Released Inmates Through CDOC
People sentenced to a year or more in Colorado are held by the Colorado Department of Corrections. Anyone who left the El Paso County jail and went to state prison shows up in the CDOC inmate locator instead of the EPSO roster. The locator returns custody status, current facility, and a CDOC number. It does not return release dates for everyone; for parole status, the parole board has its own data. The image below is from the Colorado.gov service page for the CDOC locator. View the live tool at colorado.gov/locate-inmate.
The CDOC homepage at cdoc.colorado.gov links the parole board, victim services, and the locator tool in one place.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Yes, if no DOC number | Full or partial last name accepted. |
| First Name | Text | No | Helps narrow common last names. |
| DOC Number | Text | No | Direct lookup if known. Bypasses name match. |
| Search | Button | N/A | Submits the form to the state locator service. |
The CDOC image below shows the agency's main hub for facility data, parole information, and offender services. View the page at cdoc.colorado.gov.
CDOC posts annual reports and reentry data alongside the locator, which is useful background when tracking a release.
Searching Federal Released Inmates Through the BOP
People held by federal authorities in El Paso County may move to a U.S. Marshals facility and then on to a Federal Bureau of Prisons site. The BOP inmate locator covers federal inmates from 1982 forward, including those who have been released. Results return current location, release date when set, and the BOP register number. The image below shows the federal locator's main search page. View the live tool at bop.gov/inmateloc.
The BOP search runs on either a register number or a name combined with race, sex, and age.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOP Register Number | Text | Alternative required | 8-digit number. Fastest route when known. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes, if no register number | Required for name search. |
| First Name | Text | No | Helps narrow results. |
| Middle Name | Text | No | Used when source data has it. |
| Race | Select | No | Filter to narrow results. |
| Sex | Select | No | Male or Female. |
| Age | Text | No | Age range allowed. |
For federal court data tied to a person's case, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado posts case data through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov, and the U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Colorado lists local district contacts at usmarshals.gov.
Verifying Release in Person or By Phone
The fastest check is a phone call. The El Paso County Jail booking desk runs at 719-390-2151. The jail general line is 719-390-2000. Booking staff can confirm a release in real time. For older records, the EPSO Records Unit at 27 East Vermijo Ave, Colorado Springs, is the right office. The Records Unit phone is 719-520-7177, fax 719-520-7171, email shrrecordsrelease@elpasoco.com. Formal requests go through the EPSO records and video request page. Requests are handled under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act.
For a state release, the CDOC offender services line is the right route. The agency posts those contacts on the CDOC site. For federal cases, the BOP locator returns location and release date when set, and the U.S. Marshals district office can confirm a transfer. Property pickup from the El Paso County Jail runs 24 hours a day at the CJC lobby transaction window; the property phone is 719-390-2158. Bond payors should never pay unrelated fees to release a person on money bond; the only required payment is the bond amount itself.
The Colorado Sex Offender Registry
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation runs the public sex offender registry. The registry tracks people who must register after release on qualifying offenses. It is not a general list of released inmates. The CBI advanced search lets a user filter by name and location. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office runs a county-level sex offender search page that ties into the state registry. The image below comes from the Colorado.gov service page for the state registry. View the live tool at co.colorado.gov.
The direct CBI search URL is apps.colorado.gov/apps/dps/sor/search/search-advanced.jsf.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | No | Partial last name accepted. |
| First Name | Text | No | Helps narrow common surnames. |
| City | Text | No | Use for a city-level scan such as Colorado Springs. |
| ZIP Code | Text | No | 5-digit code. Filter to a specific area of El Paso County. |
| County | Select | No | Pick El Paso to focus on county-registered offenders. |
| Risk Level | Select | No | Adult or juvenile, plus state risk categories. |
Note: The CBI registry is the authoritative state record; the EPSO county page is a search wrapper that uses the same underlying data.
Parole and Probation Information
Parole supervision in Colorado is run by the Colorado State Board of Parole, linked from the CDOC homepage. Parole is the supervision period after a state prison release. Probation is a court-ordered alternative to incarceration and is run through the Colorado Judicial Branch. People released from state prison in an El Paso County case may report to a parole officer based in Colorado Springs. People on probation report to a probation officer assigned through the 4th Judicial District. For violations, parole and probation revocation hearings are handled through the issuing authority.
Colorado State Board of Parole
c/o Colorado Department of Corrections
Colorado Springs, CO area office
CDOC main line via cdoc.colorado.gov
4th Judicial District Probation
El Paso County Judicial Building
270 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-452-5000 (main court line)
A parole hold from another agency may appear on the EPSO inmate profile in the Holds table. Common codes include Parole Hold tagged as SER and Hold for Other Agency. Those holds keep a person in custody even when the underlying El Paso County case has resolved.
Reentry Resources in El Paso County
Reentry for people leaving the Criminal Justice Center or returning to El Paso County from a state prison involves housing, work, and treatment. The county has Justice Services and Community Corrections functions linked from the El Paso County government site, and the Colorado Department of Corrections posts state-level reentry contacts on the CDOC homepage. The 4th Judicial District Attorney and the Colorado State Public Defender Colorado Springs office can be points of contact when reentry overlaps with an open case. For self-help legal resources tied to a release, the Colorado Judicial self-help page links forms for sealing eligible records.
- Colorado VINE / VINELink. Free release and status alerts. Phone, email, text, or TTY.
- CDOC reentry. Statewide reentry resources, parole intake, and family contact tools.
- El Paso County Justice Services. Community Corrections and pretrial services tied to the local courts.
- Colorado State Public Defender. Colorado Springs regional office handles indigent defense and reentry-adjacent legal needs.
- 4th Judicial District DA. Victim services and case status info for cases out of El Paso and Teller counties.
Release and Supervision Terms Defined
Some terms come up over and over in El Paso County release records. A short definition box can save time when reading a profile or a parole notice.
- Parole
- Supervised release after a Colorado state prison sentence. Run by the Colorado State Board of Parole through CDOC.
- Probation
- Court-ordered supervision in the community in place of jail or prison. Run through the 4th Judicial District in El Paso County.
- CDOC
- Colorado Department of Corrections. The state prison system. Tracks people serving sentences of a year or more.
- BOP
- Federal Bureau of Prisons. Holds people convicted in federal court, including cases out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
- Hold
- A request from another agency to keep a person in custody. Common codes on EPSO profiles include Parole Hold and Other Agency.
- Booking number
- The EPSO ID for one jail stay. Example format
2600006440. Different from the long-term A-number.
Civil Rights Restoration After Release
Colorado restores voting rights after release from incarceration. People on parole may vote under current Colorado law. For the most current rule and to register, check the Colorado Secretary of State's office. Firearm rights are a separate question. Felony convictions and active protection orders can restrict firearm possession under both state and federal law. Sealing of records is the main path back to a clean public record for many misdemeanors and some felonies. Colorado law in Title 13 of the Colorado Revised Statutes provides automatic sealing for some convictions; the Colorado Judicial sealed-case page lets a person check if a record was sealed automatically.
Employment and housing rules around criminal history sit in a mix of state law, federal law, and local ordinance. Background check rules differ for landlords, employers, and schools. None of the public release tools listed above are consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The data they post may not be used for credit, employment, or tenant decisions. The El Paso County Judicial Building at 270 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 is the place to file paperwork to seal an eligible El Paso County case.