Tag: Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
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Colorado policymakers scramble with prisons on track to exceed capacity
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Colorado’s prison system is on track to exceed capacity within the next year, driven by a sharp slowdown in parole releases, staffing shortages and an aging inmate population — all as lawmakers grapple with an $800 million general fund shortfall that limits options for expanding beds or spending in alternative programs. If projections hold, the…
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Voter turnout rates higher in Denver jails, clerk says
Ahead of Super Tuesday next week, hundreds of inmates from the two Denver County jails submitted ballots this week to vote in the presidential primary election. Officials expect the votes will result in higher internal turnout rates than those voting as a free citizen. “The turnout within participation of folks who are in custody is…
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Colorado jails embrace drug program to combat addictions, fatal overdoses
Before she went to jail and before she overdosed, Brittany Medlin dabbled in getting clean. She’d make it three days, maybe five. She and her sister, also then struggling with addiction, had been subjects of an “Intervention”-style TV show. The broadcast had sent them both to rehab. Jill Conner, their mom, told Medlin that if she…
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Colorado inmates, relatives call coronavirus a death sentence, urge more early releases
At 84 years old, Anthony Martinez is nearly blind and deaf. He can no longer walk on his own and his kidneys are failing. He struggles to write his own name, his niece says, a sign of brain deterioration after more than 30 years in prison. And though he seemingly poses little threat to anyone,…