Governor Hickenlooper pushes parole funding increase
the denver post
Gov. John
Hickenlooper wants to increase spending on parole operations by 25
percent in the next fiscal year — a move that could lead to more parole
officers, an overhaul of re-entry services and more treatment for
parolees.
The governor's proposed state budget would increase
parole spending by $10 million to bring the total amount spent up to
$49.4 million.
In budget documents, officials with the Colorado
Department of Corrections said they still are forming a plan to spend
the proposed funding.
"Division resources, structure, and
operations, in some instances, are not properly positioned to manage the
significant risk inherent with the parole population," department
officials state in the documents.
They add: "Current
facility/re-entry preparation is inadequate to ameliorate offenders
sufficiently to meet the demands of parole."
Steve Hager,
interim director of the parole division, declined requests for comment.
Corrections spokesman Roger Hudson said Hager is waiting until plans
for spending the money are finalized. Officials hope the final plan will
be ready for submission to the legislature by Jan. 15, Hudson said.
"We're
very interested to see what they come up with," said State Sen. Pat
Steadman, a Denver Democrat who is chairman of the Joint Budget
Committee, which recommends funding priorities for the legislature.
Lawmakers must approve any funding increase before it becomes final.
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