Colorado considers releasing more inmates to ease prison crowding
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Colorado is preparing to make it easier for some convicted criminals to get released from prison as part of a three-part strategy to ease the overcrowding problem.
Why it matters: The Democratic-led measures are designed to decrease spending on prisons by releasing lower-level offenders and juveniles.
Driving the news: The three prison management bills would:
- Allow the parole board to grant early release to juveniles and young adults convicted of a felony if they've served at least 20 years of their sentence and participated in a rehabilitation program.
- Give some inmates the chance to earn more time toward their early release if they participate in rehabilitation programs.
- Direct the parole board to release more inmates when prisons are near capacity and urge the court system to find "alternative solutions" to incarceration for minor parole violations. It also makes those convicted of felony drug offenses eligible for early parole.
What they're saying: "I don't believe we should make the penalty for every single violent crime life in prison without the possibility of parole," state Rep. Javier Mabrey (D-Denver) told critics at a recent hearing.
- "So if we're accepting the fact that people are going to get out, then making our community safer means incentivizing participation in these [rehabilitation] programs."
The big picture: Colorado's prison bed vacancy rate reached a critical point in 2025 for the first time, sending the Polis administration and state lawmakers scrambling.
- The governor's office said in March that the state needed to open a new prison — possibly two — but lawmakers balked, instead spending more at private prisons and local jails to hold state inmates.
The intrigue: Gov. Jared Polis currently has the authority to release juvenile and youth adult offenders serving long sentences, but he has not authorized an early release since at least 2023.
The other side: Republican lawmakers and the state's police chief association objected to elements of the bills that allowed inmates to get released on a shorter timeline and expressed concern about recidivism.
- "Why are we sweetening the deal here … to make them do what they really should already be doing?" asked Rep. Rebecca Keltie (R-Colorado Springs) at a hearing Tuesday.
What we're watching: The first two measures won initial House approval yesterday and face a final vote today.
- The third bill regarding parole needs support from another committee before a full vote.