Grand Mesa Youth Services Center
Grand Mesa Youth Services Center
Physical Address
360 28 RoadGrand Junction, CO 81501
Jail Phone Number
970-242-1521Mesa County Juvenile Information for Families
Detention or long-term placement? both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to DYS by a judge. It is a 53-bed co-ed secure center that provides detention, regional assessment for newly committed youth, and secure commitment. It serves 18 western Colorado counties (the 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts). Detained youth are 10 to 18; committed youth are 12 to 20.
This page is for families of youth held at Grand Mesa Youth Services Center, 360 28 Road, Grand Junction, CO 81501.
Read inmate search answers
Read inmate search answers1. Is there an online list of youth at this center?
Colorado does not offer a public online roster for youth in juvenile facilities. Call 970-242-1521 to ask. Staff share these details only with a parent or guardian, because they are kept private to protect the minor.
↑ Back to the top of the questions2. Who can I contact with a concern?
Start with the center's Control Center at 970-242-1521. 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).
↑ Back to the top of the questions3. How long will my child stay?
Detained youth stay until the court releases them or orders a detention sentence of up to 45 days; the statewide average is about 15 days. Committed youth stay for the period the judge set, followed by six months of parole (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1117). Call 970-242-1521 to ask which status applies to your child. Staff share that only with a parent or guardian, to protect the minor.
↑ Back to the top of the questions4. What kind of center is this?
Both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to dys by a judge. Mesa County District 51 teaches detained youth; certified state teachers run a year-round school for committed youth, with GED work and culinary, construction-trades and custodial training.
Counties served: La Plata County, Archuleta County, San Juan County, Delta County, Gunnison County, Hinsdale County, Montrose County, Ouray County, San Miguel County, Garfield County, Pitkin County, Rio Blanco County, Grand County, Moffat County, Routt County, Mesa County, Dolores County and Montezuma County.
↑ Back to the top of the questions5. Could my child end up in adult court?
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)). 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)). 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)). Someone who turns 18 while the case is pending is held in the county jail (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(4)(g)). Reach out to your child's lawyer at once.
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Mesa County Family Visits and Phone Calls
Detention or long-term placement? both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to DYS by a judge. It is a 53-bed co-ed secure center that provides detention, regional assessment for newly committed youth, and secure commitment. It serves 18 western Colorado counties (the 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts). Detained youth are 10 to 18; committed youth are 12 to 20.
- Monday to Friday: family visits 6:30 to 8:00 PM
- Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Special visit times can be arranged.
Call the Grand Mesa Control Center at extension 110 to schedule. Times can change; call first.
Visitors must be on your child's approved list: legal guardians, immediate family and others the team approves. Leave phones and bags in your car or a locker; you may bring up to $10 for the vending machines. Anyone 16 or older needs a government-issued photo ID. 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. Staff keep those details private to protect the minor.
Phone calls
Youth can call family once a week (more on a higher level) at no charge on the center's “black phone.” Collect calls on the blue phones go through Offender Connect (accounts: 1-800-483-8314); staff decide when those phones are used. 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). Ask at 970-242-1521 how phone calls work for your child. Staff share these details with a parent or guardian, since they are kept private to protect the minor.
Mesa County Juvenile Court for Families
Detention or long-term placement? both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to DYS by a judge. It is a 53-bed co-ed secure center that provides detention, regional assessment for newly committed youth, and secure commitment. It serves 18 western Colorado counties (the 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts). Detained youth are 10 to 18; committed youth are 12 to 20.
Colorado juvenile court handles delinquency cases for youth 10 to 17.
If your child is held at Grand Mesa Youth Services Center (970-242-1521), the first hearing comes fast. The questions below explain each step.
1. Which court handles my child's case?
Delinquency cases are heard by a juvenile judge or magistrate of the district court in the county where the charge was filed. This center holds youth from the 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts, so the case stays in your home county's court even though your child is held here.
- La Plata County: district court in Durango
- Archuleta County: district court in Pagosa Springs
- San Juan County: district court in Silverton
- Delta County: district court in Delta
- Gunnison County: district court in Gunnison
- Hinsdale County: district court in Lake City
- Montrose County: district court in Montrose
- Ouray County: district court in Ouray
- San Miguel County: district court in Telluride
- Garfield County: district court in Glenwood Springs
- Pitkin County: district court in Aspen
- Rio Blanco County: district court in Meeker
- Grand County: district court in Hot Sulphur Springs
- Moffat County: district court in Craig
- Routt County: district court in Steamboat Springs
- Mesa County: Mesa County Justice Center, 125 N. Spruce St., Grand Junction, 970-257-3640
- Dolores County: district court in Dove Creek
- Montezuma County: district court in Cortez
2. What if my child is committed to DYS?
Newly committed youth from western Colorado complete a 30-day assessment at this center; a team meeting with the family recommends treatment and placement. A client manager is assigned and later serves as the parole officer. The juvenile parole board decides on release (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1203).
↑ Back to the top of the questions3. Will I be told about the hearing?
Yes, if you can. The screening team must notify a parent or legal guardian and explain the right to a prompt hearing on whether the child stays detained (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(1)). At the end of the hearing the judge must make efforts to keep the child with a parent, guardian or legal custodian (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(3)(a)(VII)).
↑ Back to the top of the questions4. When is the first hearing?
A detention hearing must be held within 48 hours after your child is placed in detention, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(1)). If the judge keeps your child in detention, the district attorney must file a delinquency petition within 72 hours after that hearing, again not counting weekends and holidays (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(3)(a)(IX)).
↑ Back to the top of the questions5. What sentences are possible in juvenile court?
Options include probation, detention, placement with a relative, restitution, treatment programs, or commitment to the Department of Human Services (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1103). Children younger than 13 can be given a detention sentence only for a felony or listed weapons offenses (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1123(2)). A commitment is for a set period of up to two years for most offenses and is followed by six months of parole (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1117). Newly committed youth from western Colorado spend a 30-day assessment period here before a placement is chosen.
↑ Back to the top of the questions6. Will my child have a lawyer?
Yes. A detained child must have a lawyer at the detention hearing. If you have not hired one, the court appoints the Office of the State Public Defender (or the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel if there is a conflict). A guardian ad litem is also appointed for every detained child at the hearing (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(2), (2.5)).
↑ Back to the top of the questions7. What if prosecutors charge my child as an adult?
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)). 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)). 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)). After a direct filing, your child's lawyer can ask the district court to send the case back to juvenile court (a “reverse transfer”, C.R.S. 19-2.5-801(4)). If convicted in adult court, a youth may be sentenced as an adult or to the Youthful Offender System in the Department of Corrections (C.R.S. 19-2.5-802(1)(d)). Someone who turns 18 while the case is pending is held in the county jail (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(4)(g)). Reach out to your child's lawyer at once.
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Information for this service is currently unavailable.
Mesa County Family Mail
Detention or long-term placement? both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to DYS by a judge. It is a 53-bed co-ed secure center that provides detention, regional assessment for newly committed youth, and secure commitment. It serves 18 western Colorado counties (the 6th, 7th, 9th, 14th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts). Detained youth are 10 to 18; committed youth are 12 to 20.
Youth may get unlimited incoming mail, and the center pays postage for two letters a week.
Seal the letter and put only the sender's name and address and your child's name and address on it. Call 970-242-1521 with mail questions. Ask the center before mailing books, photos or packages. Letters and packages are checked for contraband, opened in front of the youth, and may be withheld, returned or put with the youth's property. 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
Grand Mesa Youth Services Center
360 28 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81501
Information for this service is currently unavailable.
Information for this service is currently unavailable.
Information for this service is currently unavailable.
Mesa County County Jails
Mesa County Juvenile Facilities
- Juvenile: 970-242-1521
The Grand Mesa Youth Services Center serves the following cities and towns of Mesa County: Clifton, Collbran, De Beque, Fruita, Grand Junction and Palisade. At times this facility may also house inmates arrested in the following counties: La Plata County, Archuleta County, San Juan County, Delta County, Gunnison County, Hinsdale County, Montrose County, Ouray County, San Miguel County, Garfield County, Pitkin County, Rio Blanco County, Grand County, Moffat County, Routt County, Dolores County and Montezuma County.