Save Money and Cut Crime

DENVER - The Colorado Parole Board has started releasing some inmates from prison early — about 115 more last month than in January 2007.

The board is banking that treating such inmates for drug and alcohol abuse will do more to keep them from committing new crimes than the old policy of simply warehousing them, and then releasing them, without any such treatment.

The Post supports the policy, which began in the waning days of Republican Gov. Bill Owens' administration and accelerated after Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's appointees became a majority on the parole board.

The policy has its roots in a 2003 law by Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, that increased treatment for drug and alcohol abuse for prison inmates and paid for such treatment by a slight reduction in some sentences.

We backed the 2003 law, but we also urge Ritter to monitor the new program closely and to focus primarily on non-violent offenders to reduce the risk of a violent offender re-offending. That would quickly undercut any public support for treatment programs.

Gordon supports Ritter's actions to ease the pressure prison costs have placed on the state budget.

"This is the first year since 1992 that prison budgets haven't gone up by double digits," Gordon said. "Ritter only asked for a 6 percent increase for prisons this year. If we'd been able to limit prisons to 6 percent a year since 1992, we'd have $255 million more to spend on other things this year."

Denver Post Editorial