Maximum security / Level V (men) · State Prison · CDOC

Colorado State Penitentiary

Cañon City, Fremont County, Colorado

Visiting schedules change without notice. Always call before traveling.

Call Visiting Office: (719) 269-5252 Info last verified: June 2026

Colorado's highest-security men's prison, in the Cañon City prison cluster — built as a solitary-confinement facility, and the place where whether a visit is contact or non-contact depends on the person's housing unit.

Statewide rules that apply at every Colorado state prison

These rules are set by CDOC and apply at every unit. The full list — including all permitted and prohibited items and the approval process — is in Visiting in Colorado.

Dress code

No clothing that is solid green, gray, orange, white, yellow, or camouflage, or that otherwise resembles what incarcerated people wear — Colorado prison uniforms are green.
Pants, skirts, and dresses must reach at least the top of the knee; no shorts of any kind and no cargo pants, and nothing tight or form-fitting such as leggings, spandex, or yoga pants.
Nothing sheer, ripped, or revealing — no exposed cleavage, back, or midriff when standing, sitting, or bending, and no spaghetti- or thin-strap tops; appropriate undergarments are required and must not be visible.
No hats, hoods, gloves, scarves, or coats in the visiting room (religious head coverings excepted), nothing showing gang, drug, profane, or offensive images, and jewelry limited to a wedding set, one religious medallion, and medical-alert items.

ID: Every visitor 18 or older shows a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID — the physical card, not a photocopy or digital ID — and must already be on the incarcerated person's approved list, which is capped at 12 adults (minors do not count).
What to bring: Almost nothing comes into the visit room. The only item allowed for purchases is one debit or credit card for the vending machines — no cash or coins — and phones, watches, and other electronics are prohibited; prescription medication must be in its original labeled container.
Scheduling: Each visitor applies to the facility where the person is held, and visits are generally by appointment, with days and hours set by that prison — there is no single statewide schedule, so confirm the facility's process and book ahead before traveling.

Full statewide rules: Visiting in Colorado

Overview

The Colorado State Penitentiary is Colorado’s highest-security prison for men — a Level V (maximum-security) facility. It opened in 1993 as the state’s dedicated administrative-segregation (solitary-confinement) prison. In 2017, CDOC formally ended extended restrictive housing as a policy, replacing long-term isolation with more out-of-cell time and programming; housing today spans several unit types, and conditions remain highly restrictive. CSP sits in the East Cañon Correctional Complex, a cluster of prisons near Cañon City that also includes Centennial and several others.

What Makes Colorado State Penitentiary Different

It is the state’s highest-security men’s prison (Level V), with the system’s most restrictive visiting controls.
The visit type depends on the housing unit. CSP offers both contact and non-contact visits, and which one applies turns on where the person is housed; it is confirmed when scheduling.
It was built as a solitary-confinement facility, but Colorado ended administrative segregation as a formal policy in 2017; older descriptions of permanent 23-hour isolation are out of date, though the prison remains restrictive.
It is in the Cañon City prison cluster, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Denver and an hour from Colorado Springs.

Visiting

The statewide CDOC rules above — the approved list, the dress code, ID, and search rules — apply at Colorado State Penitentiary. The facility’s own arrangements:

The full approval process is in Visiting in Colorado.

Getting There and Parking

The prison is in the East Cañon complex just outside Cañon City, in south-central Colorado.

Distances are approximate, based on map routing. Visitor parking is on site.

Nearby Services

Cañon City has gas, food, and lodging, with a larger selection in Colorado Springs about an hour away. The nearest 24/7 emergency room is CommonSpirit St. Thomas More Hospital at 1338 Phay Avenue in Cañon City.

Mail

Personal mail goes to the facility, addressed with the person’s commitment name and DOC number. Legal mail is opened only to inspect for contraband, in the person’s presence. Full rules — including which prisons photocopy incoming mail and destroy the original — are in Mail & Packages.

Learn More

For detailed information about visiting and communicating with someone in a Colorado state prison:

Visiting in Colorado — the approved list, the dress code, and ID rules
Mail & Packages — the DOC number, photocopying, and publisher-only books
Phone & Video Calls — free calls, Securus, and tablets
Sending Money — CorrectPay deposits
Medical & Mental Health — the co-pay, HIPAA releases, and Constituent Services
Transfers & Finding Someone — reception, the locator, and VINE

Sources

This page is compiled from the following publicly available sources. Policies change without notice — confirm current details with the facility before relying on them.