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.


Saturday, June 28, 2008

Colorado Commission Creates Task Forces

Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice Creates Task Forces

The Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) was created by HB 1358 during the 2007 legislative session. The first meeting with all 26 members was held in January 2008, at which the commission presented its stated mission: to enhance public safety, to ensure justice, and to ensure protection of the rights of victims through the cost-effective use of public resources. The work of the commission will focus on evidence-based recidivism reduction initiatives and cost-effective spending necessary to bring those ideas to fruition.

After that January meeting, Executive Director Peter Weir determined that the first order of business was to educate the members of the commission about the realities of the criminal justice system in Colorado. He understood that most people who don’t work in the system don’t necessarily understand the intricacies of such topics as bonding, sentencing, parole, and incarceration practices. Thus, experts from across the nation and from within Colorado provided evidence-based research materials about the criminal justice arena in Colorado and other states, as well.

After several months of meetings, the commission formed the Re-Entry Oversight Committee. Under that umbrella, four separate task forces were put together to look at different aspects of the system and to consider how the systems may be strengthened through legislative or policy reform. Each task force has incorporated voices from the community in leadership roles and as task force members. CCJRC is represented on the Re- Entry Oversight Committee as well as on three of the four task forces.

The task force recommendations will focus on statutes, policies, regulations, and practices that to reduce barriers to successful reintegration into society so that the recidivism rates are significantly reduces. The Commission is also required to report on recommendations to reduce racial disparity in the criminal justice system. CCJRC would like to invite comments from our members in regards to any recommendations that you might wish to suggest to any committee.

Probation Task Force: will work to develop policy recommendations that will reduce the barriers for people on probation and increase the success rate on probation.

Transition Task Force: will look at the systemic and personal challenges that people face six months prior to and six months following release from jail or prison and the changes that could be implemented in order to reduce recidivism.

Incarceration Task Force: charged with making specific recommendations related to the governance of jails, prisons, and community corrections facilities in order to reduce recidivism.

Post-Supervision Task Force: will examine changes that could be made to current parole laws, the parole board, and the parole system in order to reduce recidivism.

The work of the Oversight Committee on Re-Entry will be conducted in three phases. In each phase, barriers to implementing evidence-based correctional practice will be identified along with strategies to remove the barriers. The Oversight Committee on Re-Entry will propose Phase 1 recommendations to the Colorado CCJJ by October 2008, in time for the commission’s November 2008 report to the General Assembly.

Additional information about the Colorado CCJJ may be found at http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/cccjj/

Oversight Committee on Re-Entry

Regina Huerter, Chair

Jeaneene Miller

David Kaplan

Mike Riede

Regis Groff

Tom Quinn

Jeanne Smith

Grayson Robinson

Louise Boris

Peter Weir

Gil Martinez

Michelle Sykes

Christie Donner

Staff: Kim English



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

as far as i am concerned all your commissions and task forces suck. I say this based on past performance, examples, your attorney regulation board does nothing about rotten egg attorneys. Look at the prosecutorial misconduct thats has been going on, Larimer county, and DA Joe Morales of Denver county who uses false charges and suppresses evidence and alters police reports.

Your Judges dicipline committee??? I understand 2 cases in past 43 or so years have been diciplined. Right now you have Judge Egelhoff who threatens and coirces a defendent with a long prison sentence if she didnt plead guilty to a false charge brought by DA Joe Morales. She got 6 years for writing a letter she actually didnt write.
I made complaints to the proper authoritys, gave evidence, (truthful, factual evidence) and all has been swept under there rug.
I want to know when the ATTORNEYS in Colorado will come forward and clean up all the messes that are going on as well as when will Ritter step up to the plate, clean up the Judges that have been appointed and also the Colorado DOC by firing Ari Zavares and appointing someone who will clean up the Corrupt DOC who alter court records and make up there own on inmates so they cant get to the parole board. DJW

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with DJW.
My point of view is from the corrupt DOC that just counts beds and continues the status quo.
Committees are a waste of time and money as past history IN COLORADO shows that the politicians who make the decisions totally ignore them. They are driven by the rich businesses.
If the governor and legislature were really interested in reform, they stop building Ari's new CSPII prison.
Even DOC staff admits that they do not need a prison, just more intermediate, secure facilities to treat the mental and drug cases that they get every day.

We need to take the week BEFORE the DNC when the news media is looking for stories, and take to the streets and shut down the capital and do non-violent acts, such as marches down the 16th street mall, that will show the nation that this is a national issue that needs to be addressed. mpc