Colorado Department of Corrections

Lawmakers rejected a request to add hundreds of new prison beds, saying the state must first address staffing shortages and parole backlogs.

For 30 years, incarcerated men at a Canon (“canyon”)City prison cared for and trained wild mustangs, getting them ready for adoption. But now, the federal government says it is ending this unusual program, saying it costs too much. We learn more about the program’s impacts, and what’s next for Colorado’s wild horses.

Colorado’s prisons are understaffed and overcrowded, pushing inmates into county jails. The state’s emergency plan is now active, but local leaders say it’s only a temporary fix.

Colorado is one of the first states to employ an incarcerated professor. David Carillo has been released after being granted clemency – and today on In The NoCo, we hear about why he still plans to continue educating students who are behind prison walls.

Advocates are sounding the alarm about staffing shortages in Colorado prisons. In a recent survey of 400 incarcerated Coloradans, the vast majority said those shortages have had serious consequences. We learn more today on In The NoCo.

A soon-to-be finalized legal settlement would offer transgender women in Colorado prisons new housing options, including a pipeline to the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. The change comes amid a growing number of lawsuits across the country aimed at improving health care access and safety for incarcerated trans people.

Colorado is one of the first states to employ an incarcerated professor. Today on In The NoCo, we learn why this move could be so impactful.

Incarcerated individuals in Colorado have numerous creative opportunities, including arts education. Over the past several years, inmates have produced plays, written poems and made music together. Their newest creative project sounds a bit different.

Corrections officers were among the second group to get early access to coronavirus vaccines late last year. Experts are mixed on how well monetary vaccine incentives actually work. In the two months since CDOC’s bonus was introduced, vaccinations for staff who regularly work in the correctional facilities only increased about 15%, remaining just over half in total.

Correctional staff have been able to get a COVID-19 vaccine since January, but less than half of the more than 6,000 workers have gotten one dose of the vaccine so far. As vaccination opens up to everyone in the general public, including all incarcerated people, the department is offering staff a $500 incentive to get vaccinated.