ColoradoPolitics - Colorado’s prison population management plan activated due to overcrowding
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Colorado’s prison population management plan activated due to overcrowding
By Marissa Ventrelli 09/18/2025 | updated 1 day ago
Ongoing issues within the Colorado Department of Corrections have prompted the state to trigger its Prison Population Management Measures — a policy framework established in 2018 to address overcrowding. It marks the first time the measures have been put into effect.
Under the law, the governor must implement the management measures if the state’s prison vacancy rate stays below 3% for 30 consecutive days, a threshold that was met on Aug. 16.
The issue of overcrowding in the state correctional facilities has been a growing concern for months, with county sheriffs sounding the alarm in May over the shortage of prison beds, leading to increased strain on local jails.
Facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion, state lawmakers this year made the decision to eliminate about 300 beds from corrections’ facilities. While funding was approved to reopen 100 of those beds starting in July, law enforcement and criminal justice reform advocates argue it won’t be nearly enough to address the backlog.
While the PPMM will help to alleviate some of the pressure on DOC by allowing for the early release of certain eligible inmates, there’s a possibility that DOC could be looking to build a new prison, despite the fact that the state is still reeling from the impacts of federal funding cuts and a $1 billion hole in its own budget.