Denver Sheriff Department

The Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center is the prisoner intake center for the City and County of Denver.  Division Chief Mike Horner is in charge of the Downtown Division which also includes:  Court Services, the Civil Unit and the Correctional Care Medical Facility.  Prisoners are processed into the system, booked, finger printed, and temporarily housed until such a time that they are able to make bond, or have been given an advisement by the court.  Depending on the outcome of their court appearance, prisoners are either released from the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center or sent to the Denver County Jail to serve out their sentence.  

Upon arriving at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center prisoners are searched, have a digital mugshot and right index fingerprint taken, are evaluated for medical and mental health issues by medical staff.   Prisoner's property is inventoried and a thorough pat search (and metal detector search) of each prisoner is performed.  Fingerprint cards are sent to the CBI electronically. A check for any additional warrants is made when the fingerprints are classed and searched by the Denver Police Department Identification Bureau. 

Meals, phone calls, programs, video visitation and showers are all done within the housing unit.