Many people transitioning from jail or prison struggle to reenter society without support. Mesa County’s new program helps with housing, jobs, transportation and mental health services.
Colorado Department of Corrections
Posted inSunLit Interviews
DU’s Prison Arts Initiative navigated COVID to create “Tell It Slant”
“Tell It Slant” co-editors describe the challenges of working with inmates during a pandemic, while one inmate describes what the program has meant.
Posted inBook Excerpts
“Tell It Slant” drew on creative nonfiction from incarcerated writers
The University of Denver’s Prison Arts Initiative worked across nine DOC facilities to produce the anthology “Tell It Slant,” a Colorado Book Awards finalist.
Posted inCrime and Courts
In latest effort to staff Colorado’s prisons, CDOC is offering $7K bonuses and making TikToks
The prison system is offering up to $7,000 to new correctional officers in Sterling, Limon, Buena Vista and Cañon City.
Posted inSocial Services
The sudden suspension of a Colorado prison-work program has thrown employers into disarray
The Take Two program was paused following an inmate escape earlier this year. Employers, already battling a tight labor market, say they were given no time to plan for the loss of labor.
Posted inNews
Colorado Department of Corrections to review COVID vaccine mandate as it scrambles to fill 1,800 open positions
Colorado Department of Corrections officials are revisiting a policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees as the department scrambles to fill nearly 1,800 open positions. The vaccine mandate and testing requirements for prison workers remained under administrative review Friday, and a potential rollback could come this week, the DOC confirmed. “Any decisions will be made with […]
Posted inHealth, News
Colorado man first to test positive for bird flu in the U.S., likelihood of spread low
A Colorado man has tested positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu, the first case identified in the nation from a recent outbreak that has caused widespread quarantines and culling of poultry flocks across the globe. A state health official says the risk to the public is low and that the virus is […]
Posted inNews
Colorado’s new professional ultimate disc team wants to grow the sport — so it turned to young offenders
Aaron Alvarado, a 21-year-old inmate with a tiny, Cindy Lou Who-style ponytail on his head, got the hang of it pretty quickly, even though it was his first go at ultimate disc. “All you have to do is run fast and jump high,” said Alvarado, who played baseball and football in high school back in […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: End private prisons in Colorado
Allowing profit into the criminal justice system undermines its integrity, effectiveness, and the public trust. We would never tolerate profit incentives for judges, public defenders, or prosecutors; we should not do so for prisons. Two private, for-profit prisons in Colorado hold roughly 18% of our state’s prison population. These facilities are owned by CoreCivic, a […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Lawsuit claims Colorado is violating anti-slavery law by pressuring inmates to work despite health concerns
Two Colorado inmates who claim they were pressured into working despite health concerns are suing the state’s prison system, claiming it’s violating a constitutional ban on slavery and involuntary servitude. In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Denver, Harold Mortis and Richard Lilgerose claim they effectively had days added to their sentences when they initially refused […]