Reentry Program

C.R.S. tit. 17, art. 33
in effect

C.R.S. § 17-33-101 Reentry planning and programs for adult parole - grant program - rules - reports - definition - repeal

17-33-101. Reentry planning and programs for adult parole - grant program - rules - reports - definition - repeal. (1) The department shall administer appropriate programs for offenders prior to and after release to assist offenders with reentry into society based upon the assessed need as determined by the executive director and suitability of individual offenders for such services. The department shall administer the reentry programs in collaboration with the division of adult parole in the department and the youthful offender system in the department. (2) The department shall design the reentry program to reduce the possibility of each offender returning to prison, to assist each offender in rehabilitation, and to provide each offender with life management skills that allow him or her to function successfully in society. (3) On and after July 1, 2014: (a) The department shall develop and implement initiatives within the department specifically designed to decrease recidivism, enhance public safety, and increase each incarcerated person's chances of achieving success upon the incarcerated person's release into the community. (b) The department shall track the long-term recidivism rates of persons who were formerly incarcerated who participated in reentry services and programs. The department shall provide data on all individuals who participate in reentry services and programs regarding: (I) The type and level of offense of the controlling sentence; (II) Length of the controlling sentence; (III) Risk of reoffense based on a risk assessment instrument validated for individuals on parole; (IV) Number of individuals in prison past the individual's parole eligibility date; (V) Number of individuals granted discretionary parole at the individual's first parole application hearing; (VI) Number of individuals granted discretionary parole at any subsequent parole application hearing; (VII) Number of individuals released at mandatory release date; (VIII) Recidivism at six months, one year, two years, and three years following release, disaggregated by whether the return to prison was the result of a new conviction, including the type and level of offense, or only for a violation of a condition of release; and (IX) For sections (I) through (X), the data must be disaggregated by race and gender. (c) Beginning in January 2024, and every year thereafter, the department shall provide to the judiciary committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, a report with the information in subsection (3)(b) of this section, during the department's presentation at hearings held pursuant to the "SMART Act". (4) Subject to appropriations, on and after July 1, 2014, the department shall develop and implement initiatives specifically designed to assist offenders in a correctional facility to prepare for release to the community. An initiative developed and implemented pursuant to this subsection (4) may include, but need not be limited to, the following components: (a) Enhanced case management capabilities to allow case managers the ability to create individualized institutional case plans that help address the offender's assessed risks and needs; (b) Pre-release specialists to develop pre-release plans and programs for offenders; (c) The assignment of community parole officers to facilities so that each offender has an understanding of the expectations of community supervision, available services, and parole; and agers the ability to create individualized institutional case plans that help address the offender's assessed risks and needs; (b) Pre-release specialists to develop pre-release plans and programs for offenders; (c) The assignment of community parole officers to facilities so that each offender has an understanding of the expectations of community supervision, available services, and parole; and (d) Transportation for high-risk and high-needs offenders, as defined by the department, who are being released from a correctional facility to a community parole office, to help provide effective supervision, enhance public safety, and expedite critical services. (5) Subject to appropriations, on and after July 1, 2014, the department shall develop and implement initiatives specifically designed to assist each offender's transition from a correctional facility into the community. An initiative developed and implemented pursuant to this subsection (5) may include, but need not be limited to, the following components: (a) An evidence-based cognitive behavioral program for offenders; (b) Community-based mental health consultants to provide assistance with case planning and to consult with and train community parole officers concerning how to secure appropriate and available mental health services for parolees in the community; (c) In collaboration with the state department of labor and employment created in section 24-1-121, C.R.S., or any other employment or job training program within the community, initiatives to help offenders in the community obtain employment, job placement, or training; (d) Reentry specialists to help offenders successfully reenter the community; (e) Consolidation and expansion of emergency assistance contract funding to effectively provide assistance to parolees in the community; and (f) A program to provide medication-assisted therapies to eligible offenders. (6) Subject to appropriations, on and after July 1, 2014, the department shall make necessary operational enhancements and develop and implement initiatives specifically designed to ensure that the department has the proper equipment, training, and programs to properly supervise offenders in the community to enhance public safety. An initiative developed and implemented pursuant to this subsection (6) may include, but need not be limited to, the following components: (a) A comprehensive staff training program that: (I) Is consistent with research and evidence-based practices; (II) Enhances basic training and provides annual in-service training for community parole officers and staff; and (III) Creates staff development within the division of adult parole so that the division will effectively supervise offenders through successful reintegration; (b) Acquisition of equipment and resources that will effectively monitor and respond to tampering and other alerts released by electronic monitoring units; (c) Establishment of an equipment replacement plan for enhanced community parole officer safety; and (d) Enhancements to parole information technology and parolee tracking systems. (7) (a) Subject to appropriations, on and after January 1, 2015, the department shall develop and implement a grant program to provide funding to eligible community-based organizations that provide prerelease and parole planning services to people in prison and reentry services to people on parole or inmates transitioning through community corrections. The department shall administer the grant program in accordance with policies developed by the executive director pursuant to subsection (7)(b) of this section. program to provide funding to eligible community-based organizations that provide prerelease and parole planning services to people in prison and reentry services to people on parole or inmates transitioning through community corrections. The department shall administer the grant program in accordance with policies developed by the executive director pursuant to subsection (7)(b) of this section. (b) On or before January 1, 2015, the executive director shall develop policies for the administration of the grant program, including but not limited to the following: (I) A process for determining eligibility criteria for a community-based organization, including but not limited to a community-based organization that serves as an intermediary on behalf of a collaboration of eligible community-based organizations, to receive a grant from the grant program; (II) A process and timeline whereby a community-based organization may apply for a grant from the grant program; (III) A process for determining the amount of each grant that is awarded to an eligible community-based organization; (IV) A process for establishing data-reporting requirements for each eligible community-based organization that receives a grant from the grant program; and (V) A process for determining the maximum amount of moneys that an eligible community-based organization may receive from the grant program in a single fiscal year. (c) In developing policies for the administration of the grant program pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (7), the executive director may require that staff members of an eligible community-based organization seeking funding from the grant program must submit to a criminal background check before an award decision is made. However, the executive director may not exclude a community-based organization from receiving grant moneys solely because one or more staff members of the community-based organization has a criminal record. If the executive director determines that one or more staff members of an applicant eligible community-based organization has a criminal record, he or she shall consider the factors described in section 24-5-101 (4), C.R.S., before deciding whether to award grant moneys to the community-based organization. (d) The executive director, or his or her designee, shall make the final decision whether to award or deny a grant from the grant program. (e) In awarding grants from the grant program each fiscal year, the department: (I) Shall release as much as one quarter of the amount annually appropriated to the grant program to the intermediary described in subsection (7)(b)(I) of this section at the beginning of each fiscal year. The intermediary shall determine how much of this amount is awarded to each community partner as an advance portion of grant money to be awarded to the community partner. (II) Shall not award any grant money in excess of the amount in the fund. unt annually appropriated to the grant program to the intermediary described in subsection (7)(b)(I) of this section at the beginning of each fiscal year. The intermediary shall determine how much of this amount is awarded to each community partner as an advance portion of grant money to be awarded to the community partner. (II) Shall not award any grant money in excess of the amount in the fund. (f) The department shall expand the grant program in the 2018-19 fiscal year to maximize the total number of grantees; add grantees in underserved communities, especially in rural areas; and add one or more grantees that specialize in serving the reentry needs of women offenders. (f.5) (I) The community-based reentry services cash fund, referred to in this subsection (7) as the "fund", is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund consists of money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. (II) The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the fund to the fund. (III) Money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the department for the grant program developed pursuant to this subsection (7). (IV) Repealed. (IV.5) (A) The general assembly shall appropriate $1,167,297 to the fund for fiscal year 2021-2022 from the savings from enactment of Senate Bill 21-146. Any money remaining in the fund after July 1, 2022, remains in the fund and may be spent by the department in fiscal year 2022-2023. (B) The general assembly shall appropriate $1,481,662 to the fund for fiscal year 2022-2023 from the savings from enactment of Senate Bill 21-146. (V) The state treasurer shall transfer all unexpended and unencumbered money in the fund on September 1, 2023, to the general fund. (g) This subsection (7) is repealed, effective September 1, 2028. Before its repeal, the department of regulatory agencies shall review the grant program in accordance with section 24-34-104. (8) Repealed. (9) For purposes of this section, "recidivism" means a return to prison in Colorado for either new criminal activity or a technical violation of parole, probation, or non-departmental community placement within three years of release.

C.R.S. § 17-33-102 Colorado offender identification program - rules - report - definitions

17-33-102. Colorado offender identification program - rules - report - definitions. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Offender ID bank" means the facility in the department where the department securely stores offender identification documents it has acquired. (b) "Program" means the program established in this section to procure state-issued identification cards for offenders. (c) "State-issued identification card" means a driver's license or other identification card issued by the department of revenue pursuant to article 2 of title 42 that complies with the federal "Real ID Act of 2005", 49 U.S.C. sec. 30301 note. (2) (a) The department shall establish and operate a program to procure state-issued identification cards for offenders. (b) An offender may participate in the program if the offender is eligible for, but does not have, a valid state-issued identification card. An offender may elect not to participate in the program, but the department shall not deny an eligible offender the opportunity to participate in the program. (c) The department shall ensure that each offender released from a correctional facility on and after January 1, 2022, who is eligible for a state-issued identification card and who participates in the program, has a state-issued identification card upon release. (d) The department shall collaborate with the department of revenue to operate the program. (e) The executive director shall enter into agreements with the department of revenue or the federal social security administration as necessary for the administration of this section. (3) The program must: (a) Review each offender upon intake at the Denver reception and diagnostic center to determine each offender's eligibility for a state-issued identification card and the identification options available to the offender; (b) At least once each year, review department records to determine whether each offender scheduled for release within the next five years has a valid, unexpired state-issued identification card, including at the offender ID bank; and (c) Assist an offender who elects to participate in the program with obtaining a state-issued identification card. The assistance may include, but is not limited to: (I) Providing transportation to an office that issues identification cards, its location selected by the department; (II) Requesting necessary identification documents on the offender's behalf from the offender ID bank; (III) If the offender is eligible, assisting the offender with ordering a state-issued identification card online; and (IV) Assisting an offender with obtaining any identification documents necessary to obtain a state-issued identification card, including a replacement social security card or birth certificate. (4) The department shall deliver to each offender, upon release from a correctional facility, the offender's identification documents, including a state-issued identification card, obtained by the department pursuant to this section. (5) The department shall promulgate rules or policies necessary for the administration of the program. (6) On or before July 31, 2022, and on or before July 31 of each year thereafter, the department shall post on a publicly available page of its website the following information about the program: (a) The number of offenders released from a correctional facility in the preceding calendar year who were identified by the program as not having a state-issued identification card and were eligible to participate in the program; and (b) The number of offenders who elected to participate in the program and were released with state-issued identification cards obtained with the assistance of the program.

C.R.S. § 17-33-103 Pre-release and reentry program development - operation - report - definitions - repeal

17-33-103. Pre-release and reentry program development - operation - report - definitions - repeal. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Facility" means the Sterling correctional facility. (b) "Program" means a pre-release and reentry program developed in consultation with residents pursuant to this section. (c) "Program developer" means the person described in subsection (2)(b) of this section assigned to develop and study strategies to implement the program. (d) "Program report" means the report issued by the department pursuant to subsection (4) of this section. (e) "Resident" means a person serving a term of imprisonment at the facility. (f) "Third-party organization" means an organization that satisfies the qualifications described in subsection (2)(d) of this section that the department contracts with pursuant to subsection (2) of this section. (2) (a) The department shall contract with a third-party organization to develop and study strategies for implementing a pre-release and reentry program that is designed in consultation with residents. The goal of the program is to benefit program participants, the facility, and the department by providing program participants with resources to support their rehabilitation and to reduce recidivism upon their release from the facility. (b) (I) On or before August 1, 2023, the department shall enter into an agreement with the third-party organization to assign an individual employed by the third-party organization to serve as the program developer and carry out the duties described in this section. The program developer must have experience in mental and behavioral health, cultural competency, and the rehabilitation and recidivism of justice-involved individuals. The contract must require the program developer to carry out the duties described in this section; except that the contract must permit the third-party organization to subcontract with other organizations that have expertise in subject areas, such as behavioral health and data collection and analysis, that are beneficial to the program developer in carrying out the developer's duties. (II) The department shall allow the program developer to work in the facility with residents and may require the program developer to meet the same qualifications as a person who serves as a correctional officer at the facility. The department may provide and require the program developer to complete training necessary for the program developer to work in the facility with residents. (III) The program developer's only duties are those described in this section related to developing the program, studying implementation strategies, and preparing the program report, including consulting with residents to design the program and conducting the research and analyzing data necessary to prepare the program report. The program developer shall spend the majority of the program developer's time consulting with residents to design and study implementation strategies for the program. (IV) In order for the program developer to have sufficient time to develop the program, study implementation strategies, and prepare the program report, the program developer shall begin work no later than August 15, 2023. (c) The program development and the implementation study must be conducted in compliance with all department and facility rules, and the department shall prioritize program development and the implementation study. The department shall provide assistance to the program developer, including ensuring access to as many residents as possible. developer shall begin work no later than August 15, 2023. (c) The program development and the implementation study must be conducted in compliance with all department and facility rules, and the department shall prioritize program development and the implementation study. The department shall provide assistance to the program developer, including ensuring access to as many residents as possible. (d) A third-party organization that contracts with the department pursuant to this subsection (2) must have proven experience working with populations that are overrepresented in the department's resident population and must have not previously contracted with the department for any purpose. (3) (a) The program developer shall consult with residents to design the program, including developing program curriculum and metrics to measure program success. The program developer shall also conduct any research necessary to complete the program report. (b) The program must provide participants with training in skilled or professional trades and other employment-focused activities, education in skills beneficial to a participant following release from confinement, and mental and behavioral health counseling sessions. Additionally, the program must: (I) Be designed in consultation with residents; (II) Include a process for determining eligibility for residents to participate in the program; (III) Include, at a minimum, sessions or instruction in the following areas: General postsecondary education, addiction recovery, victim awareness, time management, domestic violence prevention, personal finance, leadership, strategies for coping with difficult situations, family reunification upon release, forgiveness, and alternatives to violence. The program must have customized curriculum that emphasizes different areas of study for participants who are scheduled for release from the facility within one year and for participants who are scheduled for release from the facility in more than one year. (IV) Work with professionals from outside of the facility, who may include college and university professors, mental and behavioral health professionals, substance use disorder professionals, and sociologists; and (V) Permit professionals from outside the facility to visit and work with program participants in person at the facility. (c) As part of the implementation study, the program developer shall evaluate the costs, challenges, and benefits of: (I) Providing program participants with the technology and tools necessary to work remotely with professionals from outside the facility; (II) Prioritizing operating the program and program activities while complying with department and facility rules; (III) Providing financial assistance to program participants released from the facility; and (IV) Incentivizing employers who employ program participants upon release from the facility. (4) (a) On or before December 31, 2023, the program developer shall report to the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, and the department, about the development of the program. program participants released from the facility; and (IV) Incentivizing employers who employ program participants upon release from the facility. (4) (a) On or before December 31, 2023, the program developer shall report to the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, and the department, about the development of the program. (b) The report must make recommendations for implementing and operating the program at the facility, including: (I) Statutory changes necessary to operate the program; (II) Strategies for hiring and retaining qualified program staff; (III) Funding required for the program; and (IV) Methods to evaluate the success of the program, including the types of quantitative and qualitative data that should be collected about the program and program participants, including capturing narrative experiences from participants about subjects that are supportive of participants' social and emotional health, such as leadership skills, confidence, feeling of belonging, feeling of purpose, communication skills, and bettering interpersonal relationships. The report must include a recommendation for the length of a longitudinal study necessary to evaluate the benefits to program participants. (c) The report must also include the following information: (I) Disaggregated demographic information about the residents whom the program developer consulted with during development of the program and information about the residents' sentences to the department, including the offenses for which the residents were convicted, the length of sentence to incarceration, the time served, and the residents' custody level; (II) The amount of time the program developer spent consulting with residents, organized by the demographic information of the residents with whom the program developer consulted; (III) The percentage of residents expected to be eligible for participation in the program; (IV) Detailed information about the anticipated program schedule, including the amount of time allotted each day for program activities and how often a participant must participate in program activities to achieve the intended benefits of the program; (V) The anticipated benefits from the program for participants, including benefits to participants following release from the facility, participants nearing release from the facility, and participants who are serving as mentors in the program; and (VI) Recommendations for any other policy changes based on information learned from developing the program and implementation study. (d) The report may include recommendations for operating the program in other correctional facilities. (4.5) In its annual report before the house and senate committees of reference pursuant to section 2-7-203 made during the 2024 legislative session, the department shall include information about the program development required in this section and how the department spent any money appropriated to the department for the program development. The department shall also make recommendations for statutory changes necessary to implement the program. (5) (a) Beginning no later than September 1, 2024, and subject to available appropriations, the department shall operate the program developed pursuant to this section. (b) (I) Beginning with its annual report before the house and senate committees of reference pursuant to section 2-7-203 made during the 2025 legislative session, and in its annual report pursuant to section 2-7-203 each year thereafter, the department shall include information about the operation and efficacy of the program. (II) In its report to the committees of reference during the 2029 legislative session, the department shall make a recommendation concerning whether to continue the program. (6) This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2029.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-17.docxFetched: 10/6/2026