Prison Break (Colorado Springs Independent)

We need to hear more success stories like this one. It was a long time coming, but it just goes to show that we don't need to give up on people when they make mistakes. People need options in order to be successful.

One month ago, Ernie Medina stepped from his navy blue pickup, slipped and fell on the ice near his apartment complex just south of downtown Colorado Springs.....Medina's arm was X-rayed for a possible broken bone that could have seriously hampered his work and his life. But the X-rays were clear.

Medina turned down a prescription for the painkiller Vicodin. Even the tiniest trace of the drug could rouse the addictions that brought him a total of eight years behind bars, thousands of dollars in court fees and countless urine analysis tests... By many standards, Medina has broken out of the prison-life cycle...."You can't say that we are success stories until we die," he warns. "Any one of us, especially on an addiction, is subject to falling off the path. ... That is a possibility for me until the day I die."..

Felons like Medina are regularly turned down for jobs. In Colorado, private employers can refuse anyone with a felony conviction. Public employers also can ask about criminal background information, but cannot require details of prior arrests. The state doesn't track unemployment rates of ex-felons.

"We are creating a growing segment of the population that is unemployable," says Christie Donner, executive director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. "Not just unemployed, but unemployable."

Read the Article here

Westwords Third Installment --Casey Finds A Job

Alan's third part in his ongoing series about Casey and his journey through parole.

Fresh out of prison and hunting for a job, Casey Holden has picked up a few dirty looks and plenty of don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-yous. Now 26, Holden has been locked up most of the time since he’s sixteen, including the last four years in Colorado’s supermax — not the best place to polish your interview skills.

But persistence can sometimes trump the odds

Get the Whole Story here..

Prison Crisis Can't be Fixed With A Band-Aid

Diane Carman hits the nail on the head with this article about what has happened in Colorado to create the prison crisis that has given us the 6th fastest growing prison population in the nation.

The prison crisis is not something that calls for a bit of judicious tweaking.

It's Colorado's very own Iraq war.

It was sold to voters on flawed intelligence, distorted over the years to evoke irrational fear, exploited by politicians for their cynical self-interest and transformed into an industry that feeds on the whole unseemly, craven, warped public policy for the sole benefit of its own insatiable greed.

Now it's a bona fide quagmire, and nobody in power has the guts to admit it.

Colorado's prison population has exploded because politicians in the mid-1980s created the bogus war on drugs instead of doing the right thing - treating mental illness and addiction. Then to look tough, they doubled the sentences for all felonies....

Now, 20 years and billions of dollars later, the war continues without end, and no surge in incarceration is going to stop it.

DOC figures reveal that of the 21,000 inmates in state prisons, more than 4,000 are doing time for drug offenses, and 50 percent of those arrests were for simple possession. At the same time, funding for drug-treatment programs in the state has plummeted.

In contrast, New York state funded an aggressive program targeting nonviolent drug offenders in 1990, offering them deferred sentences if they pleaded guilty and enrolled in drug-treatment programs.

It cut recidivism rates 87 percent.

Diane Carmans article here

Out of Jails Into Hospitals

Prosecutors and a state agency have reached a settlement designed to get mentally ill criminal defendants out of local jails and into the state hospital for treatment.

Prosecutors Iris Eytan and Marcus Lock had asked Denver District Judge Martin Egelhoff to hold the superintendent of the state hospital and the executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services in contempt for failing to treat the inmates....

Specifically, the special prosecutors had charged that the state was violating the constitutional rights of two categories of inmates - those who had been found incompetent and those awaiting mental- health evaluations.

Late last year, they claimed that there were as many as 77 Colorado defendants, who were found incompetent to stand trial, awaiting admission to the state mental hospital. Many of the inmates had been in jails for months despite court orders saying they were to be moved to the hospital.
Read the Post article here

and this one here
..outlines the problems associated with people with people who have mental illness and what some cities are doing.

The Army veteran was homeless and disoriented when he was arrested for burglary in Boulder County. Prior to 1999, he would have been sentenced, served his term and been released from jail. Then, most likely, he would have been returned to jail for another offense or for a technical violation of parole, such as not keeping an appointment with his parole officer. He would have joined the legions of mentally ill going in and out of jail in what amounts to a revolving door

.

Give Parolees the Right To Vote!!

Help the ACLU and Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition

Colorado Parolees Deserve the Right to Vote
We need your help with Senate Bill 83 ASAP!
SB 83 will be heard on the Senate floor early
Friday morning. That’s why you need to act now.

Find your senator's contact info by going to http://www.leg.state.co.us and
click on the legislative directory for the Senate.
SB 83 is about treating people fairly and increasing access to voting.
One of the important parts of the bill will allow parolees to vote.
There is some evidence from other states that voting is an important part of
reintroduction into society.
SB 83 brings more consistency to Colorado policy around voting
eligibility of people involved in the criminal justice system.
Currently, people on probation and people in jail serving a
misdemeanor sentence are allowed to vote. Since people on parole, like
people on probation, are living in the community, working and paying
taxes, parolees should have the right to vote, too.

Voting is one of the critical components to becoming a full member
of society. Since one of the critical goals is for people to
successfully reintegrate back into the community following
incarceration, allowing people on parole to vote is one way to create
an opportunity for civic participation and social connection.
It may play a role in reducing repeat offenses. The Colorado constitution says
that persons confined in prison may not vote, but it leaves the voting rights
of parolees at the discretion of the legislature, granting that body the power
to define “term of imprisonment.”

The Colorado Supreme Court recently confirmed this by stating, “...parole is part of the
incarcerated person’s sentence when the General Assembly so provides.”
Previous legislatures saw fit to disenfranchise parolees by voting to define
parole as part of the "term of imprisonment."

Today, our General Assembly has an opportunity to reverse that
misguided decision of years past. Opponents, however, don't want the
issue to make it to a vote, preferring instead to
rip the language from the bill entirely.
Don’t let them get away with it. SB 83 will be heard on the Senate floor early
Friday morning. That’s why you need to act now.

Call your state senator now and urge him or her to support parolee voting.
Find your senator's contact info by going to http://www.leg.state.co.us and
click on the legislative directory for the Senate.

By making your voice heard now, you can help all Coloradans have their voices heard at the polls.

Press Release From Leonard Frieling

Following my resignation as a Lafayette Municipal Court Associate Judge in protest of an unnecessary and drastic proposal to increase marijuana possession penalties in the City of Lafayette, some misinformed officials with the city launched an attack on my character, spurring news stories that suggested I was no longer an associate judge with the city at the time of my resignation.

As a result, the message I intended to send with my resignation is still as pertinent now as it was when this story first broke. The City hired me because they trusted my judgment, and I can no longer serve as a judge for a city willing to go to such great measures to ensure they have the ability to punish non-violent adult marijuana users more harshly than the state mandates. I do not pretend that it was a huge personal sacrifice. I am not the issue. The issue is the issue.

Thus, I will be standing in opposition to this measure at a press conference Tuesday, the day on which this measure's fate will be determined. More details about this event will follow from Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER).
Read the Entire Press Release here

Lafayette Increasing Marijuana Penalties?

Boulder County Action Alert -- Lafayette considering ordinance to
drastically increase penalties for adult possession of marijuana

Last week, the Lafayette City Council gave initial approval (5-1) for
Ordinance 6 which would increase the municipal penalties for an adult
to possess small amounts of marijuana. Only Mayor Pro Tem Strungis
opposed this ordinance. Currently, both state law and Lafayette
municipal code penalize adult possession of under 1 ounce of
marijuana with a $100 fine. Under Ordinance 6, these penalities
would increase to a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 1 year in jail.

Ordinance 6 was considered without public input so NOW is the time to
have your voice heard!

The Lafayette City Council is likely to have a final vote on
Ordinance 6 at the next City Council meeting on February 20th. Even
though this is a Lafayette ordinance, it affects all Boulder County
residents because someone sentenced to jail under this ordinance
would be sent to the Boulder County Jail which is funded by Boulder
County taxes.

In the November election, 56% of Boulder county voters supported
Amendment 44 which would have decriminalized adult possession of
marijuana in small quantities.

Please join CCJRC and SAFER in opposing this ordinance. Below is a
link to an action alert issued by SAFER that includes the phone
numbers and email addresses for the Lafayette City Council members.

SAFER's "action alert" is available at
http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/60/1/

Prison Growth Could Cost Up to 27.5 Billion Over the Next Five Years

RELEASED TODAY

Prison Growth Could Cost Up to $27.5 Billion Over Next 5 Years

Washington, DC -- February 14, 2007 -- By 2011 one in every 178 U.S. residents will live in prison, according to a new report released today by the Public Safety Performance Project of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Public Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America’s Prison Population 2007-2011 projects that by 2011 America will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison, an increase of more than 192,000 from 2006.

“As states continue to struggle with tight budgets and competing priorities among health, education and safety, they are beginning to question whether huge additional investments in prisons are the most effective and economical way of combating crime,” said Susan Urahn, Managing Director of State Policy Initiatives at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “The challenge for state policy makers is to ensure that taxpayers are getting a strong return on their investment in corrections: safer communities, efficient use of public dollars, and ex-offenders who become productive, law-abiding members of society.”

Public Safety, Public Spending was prepared for the Trusts by the JFA Institute, a Washington-based, nonprofit research and consulting firm. Among the report’s projections for 2011:

• Without policy changes by the states, the nation’s incarceration rate will reach 562 per 100,000, or one of every 178 Americans. If you put them all together in one place, the incarcerated population in just five years will outnumber the residents of Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver combined.
• 
  
• Unless Montana, Arizona, Alaska, Idaho and Vermont change their sentencing or release practices, they can expect to see their prison systems grow by one third or more. Similarly, barring reforms, Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and South Dakota can expect their inmate populations to grow by about 25 percent.
  

.. Connecticut may provide one of the most striking and successful examples of policy
intervention. Using data-driven analyses, Connecticut policy makers identified that parole and probation violators were driving much of the prison growth. They passed legislation in 2004 that set a goal of reducing parole and probation revocations by 20 percent, and hired 96 new probation officers, reducing caseloads from approximately 160 cases per officer in January 2004 to approximately 100 cases per officer in June 2005.

While Montana will have the greatest percentage increase, Arizona, California and Colorado will see the greatest growth in absolute numbers in the West.

As part of a “justice reinvestment” strategy, Connecticut redirected $13 million of the
expected savings from those reforms into recidivism reduction initiatives. ... Connecticut went from having one of the fastest-growing prison populations in the nation to experiencing a decline steeper than almost any other state. Crime rates in Connecticut also dropped during this period.....Another big story in the Northeast has been New York, where the prison population has declined from a peak of 72,889 in 1999 to its current level of about 63,000...

“Innovative governors and legislators across the country are exploring policies, programs and technologies they believe will save their states money and reduce recidivism,” added Gelb. “They are being joined in this pursuit by judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, corrections and law enforcement officials, faith-based organizations and community advocates, and others searching for cost-effective solutions backed by credible research and a track record of success.”

Thanks to Corrections Sentencing for alerting us to this report last week!!
Read the Report Here

The Rocky Is Against the Record Sealing Bill

Please write a letter to the editor to oppose this editorial if you feel strongly about this bill.

We wouldn't like House Bill 1107, which tries to seal off more criminal records from public view, even if it cost the taxpayer nothing. But because the annual cost to the court system is estimated at about $7 million, we like it even less.

The measure makes it easier for those involved in crimes to ask a judge to close their records. If the offense they were arrested for was not formally charged, or if it was dismissed due to a plea bargain in another case, they would have to wait only 10 years instead of the current 15 before they could file a petition with the district court to seal the record.

February Newsletter from CCJRC

The Record Sealing Bill
Ritter and His 800-pound Gorilla
The Parole Board is Hiring
Community Re-entry Project Is Hiring
CPC Is Hiring
Upcoming Events
CCJRC Membership

News From CCJRC

Record Sealing Bill Approved in House Judiciary Committee --You Did It!!

The Record Sealing Bill (HB 1107) is moving forward in the state legislature.

In a very strong 9-2 vote, the House Judiciary Committee approved the measure on Wednesday.

There was powerful testimony from many people who have been discriminated against while trying to find employment due to criminal records that are 7-10-25 years old. Legislators were visibly moved by their emotional testimony. Many thanks to all the witnesses and other supporters who waited over 5 hours before HB 1107 was heard. You made the difference.

The Colorado Press Association and the District Attorney's Council opposed the bill although the DA's Council is negotiating with the bill sponsor on amendments that would ensure that law enforcement would always have access to the records for law enforcement purposes.

CCJRC has no problem with the amendment and the D.A's opposition should be taken care of.

Hats off to Maureen Cain for all of her hard lobbying work to neutralize opposition.

Representatives who voted "Yes": Terrance Carroll (D), Morgan Carroll (D), Mike Cerbo (sponsor) (D), Andy Kerr (D), Steve King (R), Claire Levy (D), Rosemary Marshall (D), Debbie Stafford (R), and Amy Stephens (R). Many thanks to the bill sponsor,

Mike Cerbo, and for all the support from these other legislators.

Representatives who voted "No": Bob Gardner (R) and Ellen Roberts (R).

Both Representative Gardner and Roberts expressed concerns about the employers right
to know about a prospective employee's criminal history and the HB 1107 didn't draw the right "balance" between an employer's right to know and person's right to privacy. Representative Roberts expressed sympathy for the struggle people face finding employment and is interested in discussing ideas on how to address her concerns.

Next, HB 1107 will be heard by the House Appropriations Committee. This has yet to be scheduled but we will keep you posted.

Your calls and emails to legislators make a huge difference . Hang in there with us!

If HB 1107 passes, people who have an adult criminal record can petition the court to have it sealed after 10 years following the completion of a sentence or release from prison. Right now there is NO way to seal an adult record in state law. Also, our deep appreciation goes out to or friends at the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association for their leadership on this bill.
Without CCDB, this bill would not have happened and our deep thanks goes to Guss Guarino (CCDB Executive Director), Tom Hammond (CCDB President),and Maureen Cain (CCDB's marvelous lobbyist).

Ritter Confronts The 800-pound Gorilla

In his state of the state speech on January 11th, New Governor Bill Ritter specifically
identified slowing growth in the prison population as a goal of his administration.
After years of prison reform being stymied at the the state-level, event to the point that policymakers didn't even want to talk about what reforms could be made,
this new administration wants to at least look at the reasons for the outrageous growth in our prison population.

Governor Ritter appointed Judge Pete Weir as the Head of Public Safety, and Ari Zavaras as the Executive Director of the Department of Corrections. Both have publicly stated that they have been given "marching" orders by the Governor to come up with strategies to reduce recidivism that would slow growth in the prison budget (and population) and promote public safety.

The directive from Governor Ritter included language that discussed the need to prevent crimes before they occur. He wants to look at drug courts and other intervention programs,
since over 85% of those incarcerated have self-reported that they have a drug or alcohol problem.

Colorado has a 49% recidivism rate which is one of the driving factors in our prison population.
Governor Ritter has begun the discussion about developing programs that allowed people to successfully re-integrate.

He stated that recidivism reduction would be a top-priority in order to curb the prison budget. CCJRC submitted our letter to the Governor with strategies that would slow (and even reverse) the growth in prison population.

Simply put, we would only have to improve the outcomes of people on parole by a
100 people a month statewide, that in itself would create zero and even negative population growth.

It's not about radical sentencing reform, it's a discussion about small policy changes that over time have a large impact. Eighty-four percent of the people who are returned to prison go back on a technical violation of parole, these are not new criminal actions. Technical violations are the list of conditions that someone is released with, if they fail one of these conditions they can be revoked to prison.

The Department of Corrections says that it needs $806 million for prison construction projects
over the next five years. They also need an additional $42.9 million to get started on CSP II which was originally budgeted at $102.8 million. Colorado simply can't afford to build
and operate all of those projects. Expanding reliance on the private prisons and shipping people out of state are not acceptable options.

Governor Ritter has made promise to Colorado and we look forward to having the opportunity to work with this administration to help him keep that promise.

Who is the Parole Board? ….and how does it work?

The Parole Board in Colorado holds parole hearings and considers
applications for parole. The also conduct all proceedings involving the
revocation of parole. There are 7 members, they serve a 3 year term, they
work full-time and they make $86,000 a year!!

The Board itself shall consist of two representatives from law enforcement, one
former parole or probation officer and four citizen representatives. The members are required
to have knowledge of parole, rehabilitation, correctional administration and the functioning
of the criminal justice system. Three members must have at least five years education
or experience or a combination thereof in their respective fields.

Three of the current Parole Board members' terms expire this July 1.
Two of these slots are from "citizen" representatives and 1 "law enforcement" representative.
Also, the head of the parole board, Allen Stanley is“awaiting confirmation by the Senate”.
Governor Owens reappointed him in the last days of his administration and it’s up to
Bill Ritter to decide to to go forward with that appointment.

We have over a hundred boards and commissions in this state. Of those, only two have full-time positions, the Public Utilities Commission and the Colorado State Parole Board.

The 2007 version of the Colorado Boards and Commissions was just recently released, you can download it at http://www.colorado.gov/governor/press/pdf/BOOK2007.pdf

This booklet lists every board and it contains an application that you can use to apply for a position as well. If you have any opinions on the current parole board or suggestions, you should write to Governor Ritter.

The Ritter Recidivism Reduction Package

Governor Ritter released his Budget Amendment package today the link for the entire list
of proposed budget amendments is here .

He also released a separate memo called governor Ritter's Recidivism Reduction
and Offender Diversion package. Pursuant to the Colorado Promise, the goal is to invest in programs which protect public safety while allowing for diversion and successful transition from the Dept. of Corrections.

CCJRC has always advocated for funding for mental health and substance abuse treatment. It looks as though the Governor understands that making an investment may be the best way to help people from going to prison in the first place and perhaps stopping them from going back when they have a difficult time re-integrating.

Two things that are happening are that CUSP would be implemented, which creates a model that incorporates several agencies to provide real services to people and the STIRRT program will be implemented statewide.

Governor Ritter has asked for over 8 million dollars to start and looks for a return on his investment of 3.2 million dollars in 2007-2008 and over $11 million in out year savings.

Read the Recidivism Reduction and Offender Diversion package here

---

New for 2007

Changes at CCJRC

CCJRC BLOG "Think Outside the Cage"

CCJRC has launched our new blog. The new website is nearly complete, there are just a few minor technical things that have to be ironed out.

The purpose of the blog is to inform you of local, state and national
news that is related to the issues we battle. We also periodically post reports and Op-Ed columns that we believe you may find interesting. I hope you enjoy the new feature and if you want to have Think Outside The Cage delivered to your email daily, you can just enter your information on the front page of the blog and subscribe.

The Community Re-Entry Project

We are pleased an excited to announce that the Matthew's Center Community Re-Entry Project (formerly known as the One-Stop) is getting ready to open its' doors. The Executive Director, Jenifer Reynolds and two case managers have been hired and they are looking to open in the next few weeks. They are still looking for an office manager. This is a new project that has been developed in order to help reduce recidivism rates in Denver .

The One Stop will be housed at the Matthews Center, located in the Five Points-Whittier neighborhoods. This project offers a multi-level community based approach to helping people access services at a single location.

The One-Stop is based on an intensive case management model that affords significant one-on-one time with clients. Case Managers will prioritize helping people meet basic needs to ensure that they are obtaining identification, employment, housing, mental health and substance abuse assessments and treatment.

Please send me an email if you would like the job description and application email me at pam@ccjrc.org. You can also contact

The Community Reentry Project

3030 Downing Street

Denver, Colorado 80205

Jenifer Reynolds

Project Coordinator

(303) 949-4450

godlvsu@comcast.net

Also, note that these jobs ARE felon-friendly, and experience can definitely be substituted for the minimum education requirements.

COLORADO PROGRESSIVE COALITION IS HIRING
Vision ~ Action ~ Results
Building a Progressive Future for Colorado since 1996…

PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY! Great Employment Opportunity:
CPC Campaign for Economic Justice: Director Position (full-time)

Help CPC find a great Director for our Campaign for Economic Justice!
CPC's Tax Fairness Project Director, John Kefalas, did a tremendous job since 2004 building up our work to rollback Colorado's terrible TABOR law; spotlight immoral, Bush pushed tax breaks for the wealthy; confront the racial wealth divide; and build grassroots activism for economic justice across Colorado.

John is now a new, progressive State Representative for Fort Collins House District 52 and CPC is seeking to find someone to fill his senior staff position. We've given the program a bold, new name - the Campaign for Economic Justice - and hope that you will help us circulate this announcement broadly to help us recruit a pool of experienced, diverse, talented, and inspiring candidates!

DEADLINE TO APPLY: March 2, 2007 We’re seeking to hire and start the position in late March 2007. Salaried position in the high $30’s with good benefits, including health, vision, dental, vacation, and a dynamic, diverse, high energy office. Send resume, cover letter, and brief (one to three pages max) writing sample that is relevant to this position by mail or email to coprogressive@aol.com. No phone calls please. Deadline: close of business Friday, March 2, 2007.

GOODSEARCH is here!!!

You can support CCJRC every time you use the internet by making "Good Search" your homepage and using Colorado Criminal Justice
Reform Coalition as your non-profit charity, we get one penny every time you search the internet. Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ to understand more. Also, you have to type in the whole name of the organization (Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition) and not just CCJRC. If you want to make GoodSearch your home page you can click here and go to http://www.goodsearch.com/MakeHomepage.aspx which
is the link that will explain how to do that. Thank you for your support.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center

JAZZ FOR PEACE BENEFIT CONCERT

Saturday, February 17th at 6:00 PM at
Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver

Questions? Please call Betty Betty at RMPJC 303-444-6981.

JAZZ FOR PEACE BENEFIT CONCERT. We strongly encourage you to go to their website at
www.jazzforpeace.org ... they are really excellent -- and highly acclaimed.
They only do 4 benefits a year, and we are honored to have been chosen for
one of them !

Colorado CURE

The 6th annual DOC/CURE Parole Board Forum

Thursday, March 29, from 6:45PM- 9:30PM

Denver Police District 3 Building(Community Room)

1625 S. University Blvd., at I-25 and S. University Blvd.

The DOC Div. of Adult Parole will be first on the agenda to answer questions.

CURE/DOC MEETING

Tuesday, February 27th at DWCF
Behind THE DENVER COUNTY JAIL on Smith Road and Havana

DWCF is just south of the Denver County Jail.

1:00PM-3:30 PM

The training room is reserved starting at 12:30 p.m.

If you have any questions on either of these events

Please contact, Dianne Tramutola-Lawson at 303-758-3390

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YOU can be a CCJRC

FREEDOM FIGHTER

CCJRC has started our "Freedom Fighters" program. Instead of giving larger donations once or twice a year, members are making generous monthly donations of $5, $10, $15 or more by credit or debit card or by check. This allows CCJRC a real opportunity to budget throughout the year so that we can spend more of our time on fighting the battles we all care about and less time on fundraising. Our members really like it because they can budget their non-profit charitable giving. Go to our secure membershippage or give us a call at 303-825-0122. Thank you for your support.

CCJRC, 1212 Mariposa St. #6, Denver Co 80204

To join right now, online (with a credit card), visit our secure membership page (your credit card information will be encrypted and protected).

Annual Membership Dues:

Low income/student/senior: $15

Individual: $35
Household: $50
Sustainer: $100
Prisoner: $3

Thank you all so much for your involvement!! Remember, your support does make a difference!!

Treatment Over Incarceration

Sometimes it helps to put a face to the story:

The following is a story of young woman who has successfully completed treatment as part of the program created as a result of Proposition 36. There are dozens of similar stories throughout the county.

Tammy (not her real name), age 25, grew up with abuse and neglect. As an adult, she was frequently homeless and getting into fights with her partner.

When she was convicted of possession of methamphetamine in June 2005, Tammy was sentenced to the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA) program. It is the program created in 2000 with the passage of Proposition 36. Tammy was referred through SACPA to the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy Moms Program while pregnant with her daughter.

Times-Standard Article

Ritter Says Save Money by Investing in Programs

In proposals submitted to the Joint Budget Committee, Ritter asked for $8 million for the year starting July 1, which is projected to save $3.2 million immediately by reducing the number of inmates sent to private prisons. Ritter's plan is expected to save an additional $11 million in the long term.

"We're very excited to see the governor move in this direction," said Christie Donner, of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. "We think he's right on to look at reducing recidivism and revocations in probation and parole." Ritter must cut Colorado's explosive growth in inmates or spend $800 million on new prisons in the next five years.

It also meets a request from the legislative budget committee's Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, for measurable goals. For example, a $1 million investment in more community corrections capacity is expected to save $2 million over two years because graduates of community corrections return to prison half as often.

Rocky Mountain News

Lisa Calderon -- Urban Spectrum-he 2007 African Americans Who Make a Difference

Our Hats Off to Lisa!! Long time CCJRC member Lisa is a vibrant part of our community and it's nice to see her get the recognition she deserves.

Lisa M. Calderon
Legal and Social Policy Director
Lisa M. Calderon is a very active member of the Denver community. She holds two degrees, is the legal and social policy director for the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN), is a part-time faculty member for CU Boulder’s Women and Gender Studies Department, and is active on several local boards and committees.
A Denver native and life-long community activist, Calderon speaks to the need for increased visibility of African American women and youth issues related to violence against them. She is also a vocal critic of laws and public policy initiatives that disproportionately impact and target young people of color (“Broken Windows Police Policing,” Denver Urban Spectrum December 2006).

Calderon is best known in the community as an antiracism trainer and educator and for her activism for safer and healthier communities by addressing issues of domestic violence. She would like to be remembered as a woman who wasn’t afraid to challenge white supremacy or patriarchy in order to provide children with a safer world and healthier homes to grow up in.

Third Annual Women's Conference Feb. 17

Join us for the Third Annual Women's Conference - Reflecting on Her Story to Illuminate Our Future. Lisa Calderon of the National INCITE Women of Color Against Violence Collective will provide the keynote address. Registration deadline Monday, Feb. 12.

www.wps.colostate.edu

Abolition of Death Penalty -- Rocky Mtn News Editorial

The Rocky posted this editorial this morning:

State lawmakers held a phony debate at the Capitol last week over whether to abolish Colorado's death penalty. Some lawmakers and witnesses spoke in favor of House Bill 1094, others spoke against Some contended that abolishing the death penalty would be such a big deal that voters should have the last word by way of a referendum.

But the debate was surreal, for the following reason: For all practical purposes, the death penalty already has been abolished here. In the past 40 years, since 1967, there has been exactly one execution, and that was 10 years ago.

In other words, it would hardly be a big deal to abolish the death penalty in statute. It would merely recognize that for all practical purposes the penalty no longer exists in any meaningful sense at all.

It's time to abolish the death penalty in statute since its unofficial demise occurred many years ago.............lawmakers should end the waste, frustration and pretense of the present law and give the death penalty its permanent burial.

Rocky Editorial here

The Needle and The Damage Done - NY TIMES OP_ED

On a warm spring day last June in Kansas City, a doctor identified only as John Doe No. 1 sat behind a screen to testify in the case of Michael Anthony Taylor v. Larry Crawford on his practice of executing prisoners by lethal injection for the State of Missouri. To protect the doctor’s identity, only five people were in the room — the judge, one lawyer for each side, the court reporter and John Doe No. 1. The Taylor case, which is still going on, pits a murderer against the director of the Missouri Department of Corrections.........On trial was the legality of the way lethal injection is being carried out, on the grounds that it violates the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. According to Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, legal challenges to lethal-injection procedures are taking place in virtually every state with an active death penalty. As a result of those cases, about 12 of the 38 states that have the death penalty have issued temporary bans on executions, and in one, New Jersey, a legislative commission recently recommended abolishing its death penalty altogether.

NY TIMES OP ED

Closing Prisons in New York....A New Battle

We have always fought the battle of building prisons in Colorado, be it state-run or private. We know that alternatives are available. On the flip side of the coin, Governor Spitzer in NY is trying to close prisons in his state due to a decrease in population and is running into some opposition.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York took on one of the state’s most powerful special-interest groups when he proposed a commission to determine which of the state’s expensive and underused prisons should be closed. He is in for a tough battle, but it is well worth fighting. According to the "Real Cost of Prisons" Gov Spitzer is also proposing a serious budget for the mentally ill to get them into a setting that would be more responsive to their needs.

NY TIMES OP_ED

Zavaras Wants to Cut Recidivism

CANON CITY - The state's new executive director of the Department of Corrections is hoping for a decline in business, he said.

Ari Zavaras, who took over DOC last month, said corrections could cost the state $5 million less in three to five years as programs help prevent inmates from returning to prison but, for the time being, proposed new prisons will have to be built.

"We will not quit building prisons," Zavaras said. "We are planning on moving ahead with Colorado State Penitentiary II and (two proposed private prisons) are still a go.

"We can slow the growth, but there still will be some growth," Zavaras said.

Gov. Bill Ritter has said he would like to see a control on prison costs be developing programs that allow inmates to successfully re-enter society and make recidivism reduction a top priority.

"We will invest in getting programs back that can slow (inmate population) growth down. In corrections, it's insanity to think that without addressing anger control or substance abuse issues that we can put inmates back on the street and they will act any differently than they did before," Zavaras said.

"We are down some people and we need help," said Warden James Abbott, who oversees both Territorial prison and Colorado Women's prison in Canon City.

In a neighboring building, Librarian Linda Hyatt talked about the library's books, some as old as 12 years, that have been repaired with tape and glue. During state budget cuts, prison libraries also took a hit and have not been able to reorder new books for three years.

Delta Meth Task Force

I think that this is truly the first step in how we stop people from going to prison for addiction. It's all about wrap-around services from the entire community. Working together to solve the problems that lead to addiction. It's a deeper analysis of what is going on in people's lives and what the community can do to create solutions, it's a lot of extra steps, but it will certainly be worth it in the long run.

DELTA — Like other many other counties in Colorado, Delta has a problem with methamphetamine abuse and the newly formed Delta Meth Task Force believes the solution is to get the whole community involved.

The Delta task force is following Mesa County’s lead in creating community-based meth treatment, task force member and clinical psychologist Nick Taylor said, but it will be tailored more to a small town because Delta can’t afford to build a treatment facility such as the one Mesa County is planning.

Montrose County also is following Mesa County’s lead with a community-based approach to fighting the meth menace, said Sgt. Paul Eller of the Montrose Police Department.

The Montrose Meth Coalition formally announced its existence Friday and will hold its first news conference Monday at 9 a.m. at Centennial Plaza next to Montrose City Hall in the 400 block of First Street.

“We’ve met a couple of times, and our first goal is to collect data,” he said, adding he learned about the “wonderful work” of the Mesa County Meth Free Coalition at a conference.

Delta County has recruited more volunteers than Montrose because it got started earlier. But the goal is the same, Eller said, to get community members involved in a solution.

Delta County has recruited more volunteers than Montrose because it got started earlier. But the goal is the same, Eller said, to get community members involved in a solution.

Several have already signed on, including City Council members, medical professionals, schools, public health officials, business people and law enforcement.

Grand Junction Sentinel article here

The Tagging War

A war underway between Denver graffiti tagging crews has sparked the type of murders, knife fights and drive-by shootings usually associated with more established violent gangs.

Police say a clash between competing tagging crews has caused at least two homicides, one of them in Jefferson County. An innocent bystander also was shot in the leg. Members of one southwest Denver family targeted in a drive-by shooting say they are so fed up they've put their home on the market.

Denver Post article here

The Tipping Point (Left meets Right)

I am thrilled to have the Independence Institute on the drug sentencing reform bandwagon. Here's an article from the Denver Post that shows how we have reached a long awaited bipartisan tipping point on this issue.

After a decade of conservative dominance in Colorado, that's a lot of defeat. So why did the institute's chief, Jon Caldara, look so happy at the Capitol last week?

At first, I figured Caldara, whose bald head and spiked beard give him a passing resemblance to Vladimir Lenin, was just trying to pass for a leftie among all the new Democratic legislators and staffers.

Then I remembered the most powerful lawmaker under the gold dome, the speaker of the House, just hates Lenin. (The speaker is, after all, a Romanoff.)

It turned out that Caldara was meeting with members of Families Against Mandatory Minimums to advance the one aspect of his crusade for smaller government - reforming our drug laws - likely to appeal to liberal legislators.

Denver Post article