Gilliam Youth Services Center

Colorado does not offer a public online roster for youth in juvenile facilities. Call 303-291-8951 to ask. Staff share these details only with a parent or guardian, because they are kept private to protect the minor.

A short-term juvenile detention center run by the division of youth services (dys), not a treatment placement. Denver Public Schools teaches classes on site Monday to Friday, and students who qualify can work toward a GED.

Start with the center's Control Center at 303-291-8951. The Office of Colorado's Child Protection Ombudsman is an independent state agency that takes confidential complaints about DYS centers: 720-625-8640 or 866-276-8646 (toll free).

The DYS family handbook gives an average stay at Gilliam of about 27 days; the judge decides how long a child stays. The court decides the length of stay. Youth are held while waiting for a hearing or to serve a detention sentence of up to 45 days, and the statewide average stay in detention is about 15 days (DYS family page).

Your child can have a family phone call once a week and can earn more phone time through the level system or “Success Cards.” Youth can't take incoming calls except from professionals working on the case. When youth arrive at a DYS center they may make two calls: one to a parent or guardian and one to a lawyer. After that, youth can call parents or guardians at least twice a month (DYS family page). Call 303-291-8951 to ask how calls work for your child. These details are kept private to protect the minor.

Youth may get unlimited incoming mail. The center pays postage for two letters a week, and youth can send more letters if postage is provided.

Use a sealed envelope with just your name and address and your child's name and the center address. Questions about mail? Call 303-291-8951. Staff inspect letters and packages for contraband and read mail in front of your child; mail can be held back or returned. Before you send books, photos or a package, call and ask what is allowed. Your child can send sealed letters to courts, lawyers, DYS officials, the grievance administrator and the Juvenile Parole Board without inspection.

Address:
Resident's Full Name
Gilliam Youth Services Center
2844 Downing Street
Denver, CO 80205

• Family visits: Monday to Friday, 5:00 to 8:00 PM
• Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (level visits) and 4:00 to 7:00 PM (extra times for first visits)
• A first visit can be scheduled during any regular family visiting time.

Call the Gilliam Control Center to schedule; every visit needs an appointment. A special visit can add one extra approved visitor, but a parent or legal guardian must also be in the visit. Times can change; call first.

Visitors must be on your child's approved list: legal guardians, immediate family and others the team approves. Anyone 16 or older needs a government-issued photo ID. Personal items stay in the car or a locker, except up to $10 for vending machines. Visitors go through a metal detector and may be pat-searched (DYS entry policy S-9-26, June 1, 2026).

Parents and guardians can call to ask whether they are on the approved visitor list. These details are kept private to protect the minor.

A juvenile judge can transfer a case to adult court after an investigation and a hearing: for a 12- or 13-year-old accused of a class 1 or 2 felony or a crime of violence, or for a youth 14 or older accused of any felony (C.R.S. 19-2.5-802(1)). Under Colorado law, a youth charged as an adult stays in a juvenile facility while the case is pending unless a district judge holds a hearing and decides an adult jail is the right place (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(3)(c)(II)). A district attorney can file charges directly in adult (district) court only if the youth was 16 or 17 at the time and is accused of a class 1 or class 2 felony, certain sexual assaults, or certain crimes of violence after a prior felony adjudication (C.R.S. 19-2.5-801(1)). Someone who turns 18 while the case is pending is held in the county jail (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(4)(g)). Ask your child's lawyer about this as early as possible.