Prison

The Department of Corrections says it needs money to fund additional beds. But Colorado lawmakers don’t want to keep writing short-term checks without a long-term plan.

The reentry resources are meant to ensure a successful return to society for recently released prisoners.

Colorado’s state prisons have been near capacity since August, and predictions that the prison population will continue to grow have state lawmakers regularly debating the addition of more beds or contracting additional facilities.

In recent years, the governor has shortened sentences he saw as too severe.

A federal magistrate judge has rejected a bid by a former Colorado county clerk to be released from prison while she appeals her state conviction for orchestrating a data breach scheme driven by false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

Colorado has not said whether it would consider transferring Peters to a federal facility.

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.

Low vacancy rates could trigger expedited parole hearings and halfway house placements.

Each year, an art gallery in Canon City hosts an unusual exhibit. Art created by some of the most dangerous convicted criminals in the country is on display – and available to buy. We hear about the prison art program at Colorado’s Supermax facility, and the ethics of selling art by high-profile inmates.

The Associated Press has learned that the federal Bureau of Prisons is permanently closing its "rape club" women's prison in California and will idle six facilities in a sweeping realignment after years of abuse, decay and mismanagement. The agency informed employees and Congress on Thursday that it plans to shutter the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, and its deactivate minimum-security prison camps in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida.