Colorado men’s prisons will run out space in next fiscal year, state warns
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NEWS – CRIME AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Colorado men’s prisons will run out space in next fiscal year, state warns
Jump in size of prison population due to drop in early parole releases, uptick in parole revocations
By Shelly Bradbury | sbra...@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: December 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM MST
[PHOTO: The Limon Correctional Facility, a state prison, is seen on March 1, 2022, in Limon, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post]
Colorado’s prisons will run out of beds for men in the next fiscal year unless significant changes are made to either reduce the prison population or increase capacity, a state analyst projects in a new report.
A sharp decrease in parole releases coupled with a steady stream of new prisoners entering custody means the state’s prison population is likely to see one of its biggest annual jumps in the last 15 years during the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which begins in July, the analyst found.
“Things are looking extremely difficult, to put it mildly,” Justin Brakke, staff analyst for the General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee, told lawmakers Friday. “…There are challenges on the increasing population front in prison, and there are challenges on the release side… which shapes this entire situation up to be something that is not looking great.
“To be very blunt, it is not good. I can’t stress that enough.”
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