I saw the inside of a prison in Denver

This experience taught me that prisons in our nation are wildly different and it gave me hope.

When I arrived at DRDC (Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center AKA jail), the officer in the booth told me to write my name on the sign-in sheet and I handed him my driver’s license. 

I sat on a chair and waited for the other volunteers to arrive. The lieutenant, whom I had emailed a few times to set up the visit, introduced herself to me. She and two of her law enforcement colleagues-in-training would be providing the orientation tour, which would take about 45 minutes.

I was at DRDC because I started volunteering for a nonprofit that teaches writing to incarcerated people both on Zoom and in person. I plan on teaching a class once a month, but to get approved to enter DRDC, I had to take an all-day Zoom class (which I did last Oct.). The orientation would complete the final step before I got my “green badge” from DRDC. 

This is the building where I sat inside and waited to start the orientation.

I was excited to see the inside of DRDC. 

DRDC isn’t really a prison

Based on what the lieutenant told me, DRDC is mostly a detention center and sort of a prison. I say “sort of” because there are incarcerated people with very long sentences (more than 25 years) to serve. Similar to San Quentin State Prison in California, people are allowed to apply from other prisons to request a transfer to DRDC. 

Mostly, DRDC is a holding facility for people who are first arrested. Depending on their crime and sentence, they will then be transferred out to other prisons in Colorado. The facility only has about 500 incarcerated residents. 

DRDC has both men's and women’s buildings. I toured the men’s only but the lieutenant pointed out the women’s facility across the barbed-wire fence from the men’s yard. 

My first visit to a prison outside of California

Did I mention I was eager to see the inside of a prison?

I had never seen anything beyond the walls of a visitation room at Kern Valley State Prison and Tehachapi Correctional Institution. Both places are total downers. The buildings are outdated and drab.

DRDC was small, but the facility was much newer and nicer. Upon entering the yard from the visitor’s office, it looked almost like a private school or a pleasant community college campus (with grass!). I was surprised to see grass in the middle of the yard, which felt more like a courtyard.

There were modern-looking brick buildings spread out before us, and almost all of them had huge numbers on the outside to indicate which building was what. 

Nods and hellos 

I saw incarcerated guys walking around wearing light brown jackets that said DOC on the backs. 

Our little tour group looked out of place, and I could feel the eyeballs on us. I never felt unsafe. A lot of guys waved and asked how we were doing and wished us a pleasant evening. Many of them knew the lieutenant by name.

The prison hospital

From the yard, we walked into a building that housed the hospital. We walked up a flight of stairs and straight into the hospice wing. Hospice? I wasn’t expecting this, and my mood shifted from curiosity to heaviness (and nervousness).

The patients in hospice were dying from cancer or other terminal diseases. Even though the lieutenant told us we could walk down the hall and back, it felt… wrong. I noticed she hung back, in front of the nurse’s office. 

I followed the two other volunteers in my group down the short hallway. Each room had distinctive metal sliding doors and a skinny window that reminded us we still were inside a prison. Each room was small, with just a bed, TV, sink, and toilet. I saw patients on their beds. Some slept while others watched TV. 

I quickly walked back to the lieutenant.

The gym

After the hospital, we headed to the gym. Just like the rest of the facilities, the gym was surprisingly nice and well taken care of. The floors were clean and shiny. It looked like it could’ve been the gym inside a YMCA, except there was a guard perched in an elevated office to monitor everything below. 

There was a basketball court, two pickleball courts, a seating area with tables, and I think I even saw a foosball table?

The lieutenant told us they recently had a pickleball tournament between incarcerated players and officers. She said the officers won, and laughed, “The warden is super competitive.” It made me wonder how the warden would’ve reacted if he lost.

As the tour progressed, I noticed how much emphasis was placed on programs and rehabilitation. We passed by a podcast and recording studio. When we walked by the recording studio, I noticed the hallway had floor-to-ceiling graffiti portraits of civil rights leaders and iconic figures like Bruce Lee. The lieutenant told me the artist was one of the residents at DRDC. 

We also stopped by another outdoor workout area, which was a private yard for closed custody people with a higher security level. These are folks who can’t congregate with the general population. 

“They get their own yard?” I asked incredulously. 

The lieutenant nodded, “I know, right?” 

The yard was clean and inviting, with modern-looking workout equipment and even a gazebo to provide shade from the hot Colorado sun. 

The housing facility

Our final stop—the housing facility. This is where the guys sleep, hang out, and watch TV. I didn’t think we’d get to see this building because I assumed these areas were closed off to the public.

The lieutenant said the housing unit we were about to see was a much nicer version than the others. This unit was for minimum security level offenders, so it was a lot more relaxed.

Because gang activity doesn’t exist at DRDC, it’s a big reason many guys from other prisons apply to get transferred. I was also told that because the facility is in Denver, visitations are a lot easier on friends and family. I would imagine the transfer process would be highly selective, just based on the limited size and capacity of DRDC. 

In the center of the housing unit was a common area with couches, tables, a flat-screen TV, and even a fish tank. It reminded me of a college dorm, where students gather to watch TV or socialize. 

We got more stares and nods and smiles. The walls were white, which made the space feel airy and bright. There were open stairs leading to a short flight up to the second and third floors. Each floor looked identical. If you stood in the common area, you could see each floor that housed individual cells. 

I wanted to stick my face in front of everyone’s cell and examine how people decorated them. But instead, I stood in place and scanned everything as best I could. Every cell had a desk, a bed, and a metal toilet. Some doors were open, and I noticed guys hanging out and talking.

Thinking about my bro and Sammy

I suddenly wished my brother could live in this dorm-like facility. It wouldn’t be bad if he lived out his sentence at a place like DRDC, where gangs don’t exist and you walk through open doors and enjoy a yard with grass.

I imagined him making friends and changing and wanting to do better. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I felt like DRDC had a vibe and culture of rehabilitation.

I thought about Sammy too, who is at Kern Valley. I pictured him thriving at DRDC, taking programs, and perfecting his pickleball skills. 

Thinking about all this made my heart hurt. But oddly, the orientation made me feel a little closer to both of them.

I know DRDC isn’t the norm when it comes to prisons. But that day, I felt a little more hopeful that there are facilities like DRDC, where it seems like incarcerated individuals are treated decently and are ultimately working to better their lives.