Colorado Senate Advances Plan To Address Prison Overcrowding Crisis

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette

As lawmakers work to complete the next state budget, they are intensifying efforts to address overcrowding and capacity challenges within the Department of Corrections and related agencies — issues that have contributed to increased spending in the budget.

The state Senate on Friday gave preliminary approval to Senate Bill 159, specifically designed to work on the capacity issue.

The measure, sponsored by Democratic Sens. Julie Gonzales of Denver and Mike Weissman of Aurora, has two components.

One would require the creation of a working group to make recommendations for a corrections capacity management plan, including input from affected parties.

That’s been part of the Joint Budget Committee’s demand for a comprehensive program outlining how the corrections agency intends to resolve the capacity crisis.

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