GOLDEN, Colo. – Veterans who end up in jail in Jefferson County can now volunteer to be put a special unit.
Deputies opened Unit 1 at the Jefferson County Detention Center on Friday.
Unit 1 is exclusive to male military veterans and is designed to meet the unique needs of inmates who have served in the armed forces.
In Unit 1, cells are unlocked during the day and inmates take part in group therapy and other activities that are meant to improve their overall outcomes. Even the deputies working in the unit are veterans.
The new unit has space for up to 32 inmates. The sheriff’s office said it usually has between 20 and 30 veteran inmates at any given time.
Click or tap the image below to take a look inside the new unit.
Jefferson County is the second Colorado county to institute such a unit. El Paso County has had military veteran units for a few years now and the percentage of repeat offenders has gone down, according to Shrader.
