Several inmates at Delta County Jail were able to get replacement photo ids and driver’s licenses through the Colorado Mobile DMV Initiative also known as DMV2GO.
Delta County became the first jail in the state to offer such a service outside of Department of Corrections facilities. Officials at the jail say the lack of identification post-incarceration is a significant obstacle to accessing crucial services, securing employment, and successfully reintegrating.
"It's a big, big step towards reintegration, reduction in recidivism, you know, community safety, and all of the things that we aim for, and that's the whole undercurrent of JBBS," says Jackie Felix, Jail Based Behavioral Services Administrator at Delta County Jail.
After finding it difficult to obtain valuable IDs for inmates, Felix reached out to the Colorado Attorney General's office, which then contacted the Colorado DMV to bring the mobile ID service to Delta County.
"And I was frustrated by the fact that this mobile service was available to prisons and homeless shelters but not jails," she said.
Felix worked months in advance with inmates securing needed paperwork while waiting for an available DMV mobile tech. The biggest holdup was that there is not a mobile tech on the western slope.
"The gal that came over and did this for us came from Denver. And she was able to work it into her schedule while she was going to be at the correctional facilities in Rifle and Delta" she said.
Felix says she's unsure how often the jail will be able to provide the service. However, she's hopeful that her initial efforts will pay off.
"I'm hoping that DMV will recognize the significant need for this and either change their policy on the issuance date, making IDs more accessible for law enforcement or put a mobile DMV unit on this side on the western slope of Colorado," said Felix.
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