Colorado policymakers scramble with prisons on track to exceed capacity
Spike CO
Colorado policymakers scramble with prisons on track to exceed capacity
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 inmate population could swell to levels not seen since 2011 — aside from a brief pandemic-era spike in 2020 — pushing the system well past its designed capacity and intensifying pressure on an already strained corrections budget and staff.
With the state facing an $800 million shortfall in general fund revenue, which funds corrections, the money to pay for more beds could mean cuts to other programs valued by lawmakers and advocates, such as early childhood development.
Some have argued that reducing the prison population through parole, community corrections, and an intensive supervision program could lessen the costs — it’s about $57,000 per year to house an inmate — but parole numbers are also at their lowest levels since 2011, according to a briefing document from the Joint Budget Committee.
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