Dear Residents,
Imagine you are a prisoner in Colorado and are approved by the local Community Correction Board to enter a community corrections program in Denver. You are hopeful because you will be in a supportive yet structured environment, assisted in finding employment or job training, and rehabilitative programming to learn coping skills. When released into the community, these programs will help you be on your own. You know you have a better chance of avoiding a return to prison through the support offered, than if you serve your sentence and are released without any assistance. It’s been a long wait. After you are approved for a bed in a community corrections facility, it will take 6-8 months before a bed is available because 150 people are in front of you on the waitlist.
This can be an extremely discouraging experience. The availability of beds in our community corrections program has been drastically reduced. Before 2019, Denver contracted with two private companies—GEO and Core Civic—to run several of our community corrections facilities. Unfortunately, Denver City Council discontinued those contracts because a policy decision was made to divest from these companies that contract with the federal government to run immigration detention facilities. I agreed with Councilwoman CdeBaca in principle when she encouraged a “no” vote on the contracts; however, I strongly discouraged my colleagues from voting against these contracts until we had a plan to replace the number of beds being lost by contracting with another program operator. I wanted to avoid any impact on the individuals who were thriving in these facilities. As a result of that vote, a total of 5 facilities were closed and another is scheduled to close in June 2023. Before the policy change, community correction facilities could serve 750 people. Now, there are only 419 beds available and after next year’s facility closure, an additional 120 beds will be lost. With a decrease in bed capacity of over 50% as of this point, any additional losses will further the impact on approved inmates. Offenders will have to wait even longer in our jails and state prisons if bed capacity isn’t replaced before further facility closures.
Denver did buy a building from one of these companies. Using a hybrid model the city manages the property and a new operator is running the programming. This model is more costly to the city and only offsets the losses by 60 beds. Without enough community corrections beds, it is harder for individuals re-entering their community from prison or jail to be successful. They need the support and structure offered through this program to avoid a correction system.
Community correction programs reduce recidivism rates. Offenders are provided the opportunity to ease their re-entry into society. People in community corrections re-offend less than 2% of the time while residing in the facility. For those that complete the program successfully, approximately 2/3 will not recidivate in the first two years post-completion. Having enough capacity in community corrections improves public safety and, most importantly, the lives of the program participants.
Why is this important to you? It benefits all of us when justice-involved individuals have access to community correction programs. The cost of incarceration decreases, meaning there is less of a burden on taxpayers. Offenders obtain employment while in these programs, and their income can help offset some of the costs of housing, treatment, child support, and restitution. Participants can develop job skills, learn coping techniques, maintain sobriety, or learn other necessary skills to give them the opportunities for a successful life.
While under the supervision of rehabilitation professionals, clients have expectations to meet and rules to follow. With good supervision and a job, people successfully thrive in the community after completion of their community corrections program. The approved individuals now face a long waitlist due to the termination of the GEO and Core Civic contracts, which essentially has denied them the opportunity to make a more successful transition. As a member of the Crime Prevention and Control Commission (CPCC), I am committed to successful programs that work with our justice-involved individuals, whether they return through community corrections or upon release to the community without support. Increasing the capacity of our community corrections program will certainly assist more people in successfully re-entering their community. I will support future contracts that increase bed capacity when it comes to Council for approval because this is a move in the right direction.
