Platte Valley Youth Services Center

Youth in juvenile custody do not appear in a public online search. Call 970-304-6220 and ask. These details are kept private to protect the minor, so staff share them with a parent or guardian.

• Every day: professional and family visits 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, by appointment

Call the Platte Valley Control Center to schedule. Hours can change, so call before you go.

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. These details are kept private to protect the minor.

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. Call 970-304-6220 to ask which status applies to your child. Committed youth stay for the period the judge set, followed by six months of parole (C.R.S. 19-2.5-1117). Staff share that only with a parent or guardian, to protect the minor.

Start with the center's Control Center at 970-304-6220. 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).

Both detention and long-term commitment: some youth are waiting for court, and others were committed to dys by a judge. Weld County School District 6 runs the school, where residents can earn a diploma or GED, and some Aims Community College courses are offered.

Counties served: Larimer County, Jackson County, Kit Carson County, Logan County, Morgan County, Phillips County, Sedgwick County, Washington County, Yuma County, Adams County, Broomfield County, Weld County and Boulder County.

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. Questions about mail? Call 970-304-6220. Before you send books, photos or a package, call and ask what is allowed. Staff inspect letters and packages for contraband and read mail in front of your child; mail can be held back or returned. Letters from your child to a court, a lawyer, DYS officials or the Juvenile Parole Board go out sealed and unread.

Address:
Resident's Full Name
Platte Valley Youth Services Center
2200 O Street
Greeley, CO 80631

Youth can make at least two phone calls a month on the unit plus one call a week with their counselor, and can earn more on upper levels. Youth can use the prepaid phone during free time. Professionals on the case can call in. 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 970-304-6220 to ask how calls work for your child. 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)). Someone who turns 18 while the case is pending is held in the county jail (C.R.S. 19-2.5-305(4)(g)). 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)). Your child's lawyer can explain the options.