Colorado Lawmakers Advance Parole And Sentencing Changes in an Effort to Reduce Prison Population
By Taylor Dolven and Rae Solomon | The Colorado Sun
It’s unclear if the measures will be enough to offset the need for reopening one or two prisons.
Colorado lawmakers passed two bills Thursday and are still considering a third aimed at reducing the state’s prison population, which has ballooned to the point where Gov. Jared Polis is recommending reopening up to two prisons.
It’s difficult to say whether the bills, which Polis has yet to sign, can cut the prison population enough to offset the Department of Corrections’ space needs this year. But they represent the legislature’s latest effort to reduce the number of incarcerated Coloradans, which has increased 19% since 2021 even as crime rates have fallen.
“This is part of the bigger conversati...
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