Sterling Correctional Facility (SCF) is located in Sterling, Colorado, and is the largest prison in the Colorado Department of Corrections system.
History State statute dictated that prisoners with death sentences were to be held at the administrative segregation facility at the Colorado State Penitentiary."Death Row FAQ." (Archive) Colorado Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. In 2011, the State of Colorado moved its death row prisoners to Sterling to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Nathan Dunlap, a death row inmate. Dunlap had complained about the state's lack of outdoor exercise facilities at Colorado State Penitentiary. The inmates returned to Colorado State Penitentiary in 2015 after the outdoor access issue was resolved.
The facility would become the source of a controversy for Veterans of Foreign Wars after the establishment of a post in the prison by inmates in October 2023. It would become subject to controversy following coverage by YouTuber Richard Hy in September 2025, which would result in the parent organization enacting new rules that forced the post to cease operations.
Notable Inmates Allen Andrade, first conviction for a hate crime involving a transgender victim Troy Graves, serial rapist and murderer Scott Lee Kimball, serial killer imprisoned at Sterling until 2017 escape attempt Marc Patrick O’Leary, serial rapist Peter Cichuniec, former firefighter convicted in the death of Elijah McClain
References
External links
Sterling Correctional Facility - Department of Corrections US Engineering history, specifications, and power engineering description