(The Center Square) – Discretionary parole releases across Colorado are on the rise, as the adult prison population growth continues to slow.
This is according to a December presentation to the General Assembly’s Joint Budget Committee by the state’s Legislative Council Staff.
In fiscal year 2023-2024, data from the Colorado’s Department of Corrections saw a drop in adult prison population growth to 2.6%, compared to 4.2% in fiscal year 2022-2023.
Over that same period, new court commitments were steadily declining, down from a statewide high pre-pandemic.
Yet, the presentation predicts that the prison population will rise slowly. Along with that, parole caseloads and technical parole violations are also expected to increase.
So, while the prison and parole populations have stabilized, “risk remains.”
“The forecast assumes that the population will return to pre-pandemic patterns of relative stability with slower growth and some periods of decline,” the presentation reported. “The possibility of unforeseen disruptors raises risk.”
Notably, discretionary parole releases are also increasing. This means that more parole boards are releasing inmates before their mandatory release date.
This comes as some reports have found that many Colorado prisons are understaffed, leading to prisoners lacking “access to essential services like medical, dental and mental health care.”
As for the youth corrections population, data from the Colorado Department of Human Services: Division of Youth Services found that the average daily population has been on the rise since 2021.
The December presentation also predicted similar increases over the coming years. Continued increases in both the youth parole and incarcerated populations will reverse “long-term” downward trends.
