Who is the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition?

Our mission is to reverse the trend of mass incarceration in Colorado. We are a coalition of nearly 7,000 individual members and over 100 faith and community organizations who have united to stop perpetual prison expansion in Colorado through policy and sentence reform.

Our chief areas of interest include drug policy reform, women in prison, racial injustice, the impact of incarceration on children and families, the problems associated with re-entry and stopping the practice of using private prisons in our state.

If you would like to be involved please go to our website and become a member.


Thursday, July 05, 2007

Potato Pickin Prisoners - Idaho

We started in Pueblo last month and it looks like other states are doing the same thing. Hiring out prisoners to pick up the slack.

— Potatoes are worth gold to Idaho's economy, but that's not why an armed guard oversees red T-shirted workers at the SunGlo packing plant deep in tuber country.

Workers from Mexico have become more scarce, so the Sugar City, Idaho, company's managers have a different source of employees: prison. Colorado started a similar program last month.

Such programs highlight that Hispanic workers are in tight supply. Jobs in construction lure them from farms, and the spotlight on illegal immigration has cut the number of laborers willing to come north.

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