Press Release - FY 09-10 Recidivism Reduction Package
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER ANNOUNCES $380M SAVINGS FROM CRIME-PREVENTION AND RECIDIVISM-REDUCTION PACKAGE
Gov. Bill Ritter today presented the Colorado Criminal and Juvenile Justice Commission with his proposed 2009-10 crime-prevention and recidivism-reduction package, which is projected to save taxpayers $380 million over five years.
The package will be contained within Gov. Ritter's fiscal year 2009-10 budget proposal, which will be submitted to the legislature's Joint Budget Committee this weekend. Gov. Ritter and Budget Director Todd Saliman will hold a news conference about the entire budget proposal at 11 a.m. Sunday in the Governor's Office.
"This package represents a strong commitment to preventing crime, keeping the public safe and protecting communities," Gov. Ritter said. "It is also a commitment to solid fiscal policy and protecting taxpayer dollars. We face economic challenges unlike any we've ever seen. Now, more than ever, we must make the wisest investments possible that ultimately will save us hundreds of millions of dollars.
"This package does just that by making strategic investments in programs and services that will keep offenders from committing new crimes, from victimizing innocent people and from returning to prison at great taxpayer expense," Gov. Ritter said.
This will be the third year of significant recidivism-reduction initiatives under Gov. Ritter.
Package Highlights:
- 12 programs run by four departments (Corrections, Public Safety, Human Services and Judicial).
- Programs fall into four main categories: prevention services for youth; diversion; transition; and substance-abuse treatment and offender education. Eight of every 10 inmates have a substance abuse problem.
- Net cost of crime-prevention and recidivism-reduction package in 2009-10: $10.6 million.
- Projected five-year savings: $380.5 million, including a $336 million savings achieved by not building a planned 2,061-bed expansion of the Trinidad Correctional Facility.
- Colorado houses 23,066 inmates, nearly double the 12,647 inmates of 10 years ago.
- Colorado's current recidivism rate of released offenders returning to prison within three years is 53.4 percent.
- The Governor's crime-prevention and recidivism-reduction package calls for reversing previously forecasted inmate growth of 4,444 additional inmates over five years and instead decreasing the inmate population by 521.
- It costs $25,000 to house one inmate for one year in a state prison.
Full Crime Prevention and Anti-recidivism Package: