Adult Parole

What to Expect while on Parole or Inmate Supervision

Parole/inmate supervision is a condition of release from prison, decided  by the Colorado State Board of Parole.  The parole agreement (conditions of release) is issued prior to on offender's release to parole/community.  

Common conditions of parole supervision:  (Additional conditions could be added by the parole officer or parole board as recommended.) 

• Release: Upon release from the institution, parolee shall go directly to designated parole office 
• Residence: Parolee shall establish a residence of record and shall reside at such residence in fact and on record; shall remain at residence of record each night unless otherwise authorized by the parole officer; parolee shall not change residence of record without the consent of the parole officer; and shall not leave the area paroled to without permission of the parole officer
• Conduct: Parolee shall obey all State/Federal laws and Municipal ordinances. Parolee shall follow the directives of the parole officer at all times.
• Report: Parolee shall make written and in person reports as directed to the parole officer and shall permit visits to his/her place of residence as required by the parole officer/parolee shall submit urinalysis or other tests for narcotics or chemical agents upon the request of the parole officer, and is required to pay for all tests.
• Weapons: Parolee shall not own, possess, nor have under his control or his custody, firearms or other deadly weapons.
• Association: Parolee shall not associate with any person with a criminal record without the permission of the parole officer. 
• Employment: Parolee shall seek and obtain employment, or shall participate in a full time educational or vocational program, unless waived by the parole officer.
• Alcohol/Drugs: Parolee shall not abuse alcoholic beverages, medical or recreational marijuana or possess and/or use illegal drugs.
• Child Support: Parolee shall comply with any court or administrative order to pay child support 

 

Sponsors/Loved Ones

To become an approved sponsor for someone under parole or inmate supervision, you will be contacted by a community parole officer prior to the offender’s release into the community.  There will be a visit to your residence in order to ensure that it is an appropriate environment for the offender.  The investigating officer will be conducting an investigation report to include a criminal history report on all individuals residing in the residence.  The community parole officer will also review a “Sponsor Advisement” form with you to make sure you understand and agree to the terms and conditions of having the offender live with you.  This will include the following:

• Must be aware of the offender's criminal history.
• Must not be a victim or co-defendant of any crime involving the offender.
• Must allow community parole officers to visit and search the residence at any time.
• No possession of firearms, ammunition, or other deadly weapons in the residence, in vehicles or in any structure located at the resiedence.
• No possession of any illegal substances in the residence. (The offender supervisiton agreement may include additional restrictions that are offense specific.)
• Must allow the use and placement of any required electronic monitoring equipment in the residence.
• If the offender has a criminal history that includes a sex offense or an offense against children, he/she will not have any contact with minors (under 18 years of age) without written permission from the community parole officer.

In any residence where children are present and illegal substances are used and or found, community parole officers, by statute, are mandatory reporters and must report all instances of this alleged activity to the appropriate authority. 

 

Reenty Case Planning

Your community parole officer and community reentry specialist are here to help you. They will assess for needs and barriers, provide a case plan to help with a successful transition into the community and in colaboration with community agemcies/partners, offer various support services.  
 
Please discuss openly and honestly any concerns you may have with your treatment needs.

Community parole officer can direct you to any alcohol/drug testing locations. 

 

CWISE

CWISE is a 24-hour call center to check in and reach an assigned community parole officer.   

CWISE  1-800-426-9143

Please call this number to leave a message for your parole officer.  Disponibles operadores espanoles. 

 

Restitution

It is the policy of the CDOC, Division of Adult Parole to make all reasonable efforts to collect restitution from offenders in community based programs, per CRS 16-18.5-106 and CRS 17-2-201(5)(c). Failure to pay towards your restitution is a parole violation.

The CDOC contracts with Western Union to accept direct payments from offenders for deposit into accounts for restitution. You may contact Western Union at 1(800) 325-6000 or visit westernunion.com to find a location. Click on the link for instructions on sending restitution fees: Western Union Form/Instructions                

The Colorado Department of Corrections, in collaboration with AVIA Partners, provides funds for psychotropic medications for parolees and community Inmates. The AVIA vouchers, for payment of the psychotropic medications, can be obtained by Community Reentry and are accepted at Safeway pharmacies throughout Colorado.

After downloading the flyer, take the voucher and prescription to any participating pharmacy -- Ask your CPO for a list of participating pharmacies in your area.   

Download Flyer

The Approved Treatment Provider (ATP) Program was formalized to identify and utilize mental health treatment providers who meet standards commensurate with the treatment and supervision needs of offenders. Offenders on parole have mental health services, sex offender treatment and substance abuse treatment services available to them through the ATP program.

The DOC recognizes that specialized treatment providers are an essential component to successful reintegration of offenders returning to the community.

Contact:

Guidelines and Applications for ATP approval

• For agency approval; review the ATP Agency Approval Guidelines and complete the ATP Agency Application.

• For therapist approval; review the ATP Therapist Approval Guidelines and complete the ATP Therapist Application.

Announcement:

Approved Treatment Provider (ATP) Program Open Meeting:

An open meeting for the ATP Program will be scheduled later this fall.

• ATPP Committee Meeting Minutes-April 6

940 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203

 

Difficulties under supervision are more the rule than the exception due to the challenges offenders face when it comes to substance abuse, mental health, physical health, job skills, education, prior criminal involvement, lack of stability in housing and pro-social connections.  Keeping in mind the goal of community safety and the need to develop a strategic approach to violations, the following are the principles that underlie a violations decision making process to assist the Division of Adult Parole in its mission. Responses to violations should be: 

• Part of an overall strategy of reducing risk of recidivism, enhancing success on supervision, and using resources wisely;
• Shaped by the principles of evidence-based practice and effective interventions with offenders;
• Guided by the level of risk of the offender, his or her criminogenic needs related to that risk, as well as by the severity of the violation behavior;
• Guided by policy in order to assure consistency, even-handedness, and effectiveness across the division; and
• Characterized by transparency—offenders, staff, management, and the public should be able to understand the rationale for violation responses and see them as a part of the division’s public safety strategy.

In the context of these principles, the division seeks to establish an approach to responding to violations that will result in: The more successful transition of offenders under supervision to the community, in an effort to reduce future victimization, increase public safety, and enhance the ability of offenders to become more productive members of the community; 

• Greater consistency in responses;
• Responses that are based on severity and the level of risk the offender poses to the community; and 
• Efficient targeting of resources. 

Division policy on violations is intended to:

• Guide an orderly decision process that enables community parole officers, supervisors, and management to consider violation cases within a similar framework;
• Provide specific guidance to staff about the factors to consider in developing a violation response;
• Result in a response to every violation;
• Identify the appropriate category of response for various combinations of assessed risk, violation severity, and significant stabilizing and destabilizing factors;
• Allow for discretionary “override”  or “under ride” of an indicated category of  response level, when in extraordinary circumstances, the “presumptive response” does not appropriately respond to the level of risk or seriousness of the violation;
• Identify the appropriate category of response for various combinations of assessed risk, violation severity, and significant stabilizing and destabilizing factors; and
• Direct programmatic sanctions short of revocation to offenders at high and mid-level risk according to their assessed criminogenic need.

Violence, fear, and neglect are a common reality for children in homes with illegal drug use, distribution, manufacturing and/or cultivation.  As a result of their living situation, these children may experience an array of negative outcomes including: neglect, physical or emotional abuse, lack of supervision, lack of parenting or nurturing role models, poor nutrition, deprivation and unsanitary living conditions. Community Parole Officers are a noteworthy example of the opportunity that exists to identify drug endangered children that are in the homes of or being parented by the most dangerous and high level offenders just as they are released from prison and throughout their transition into the community.  The Division of Adult Parole is working in partnership with the Colorado Alliance for Drug Endangered Children to increase the identification of drug endangered children.

Colorado Web Integrated Support Environment (CWISE):  Information concerning the children living with the offender as well as his/her children living elsewhere will be entered into the CWISE database, which electronically houses all of the information for the division.  In the case of a positive drug test, a search with drugs or paraphernalia found, or an arrest for a drug related offense, the case will be converted to an active DEC case and the officer will follow the appropriate protocols to provide the necessary services and support to these children.

DEC Training & Collaboration:  Community parole officers will receive comprehensive training on the importance of recognizing and responding collaboratively to the needs of children in dangerous substance abusing environments.  In addition, the community parole officers will coordinate with all appropriate agencies to ensure a safe and healthy future for drug endangered children. 

For More Information on Drug Endangered Children, Please Visit:  www.coloradodec.org 

In Colorado, the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision carries responsibilities that cross not only the judicial and executive branches of government, but the private sector as well. The compact is governed by both federal and state laws. The United States Congress’ enactment of the Crime Control Act of 1934 led to the development of the Interstate Compact of the States.

Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS) is a formal agreement between states that seeks to promote public safety by controlling movement of certain adult offenders. The compact has congressional consent under Article I, § 10 of the United States Constitution and pursuant to Title 4, Section 112(a) of the United States Code. The Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ICAOS. 

The primary functions of the Colorado Interstate Compact office are to:

• Act as a mediator in any dispute or violation of the terms of the Compact between jurisdictions.
• Act as a clearinghouse for all placement investigations for probationers and parolees entering or leaving Colorado.
• Provide training to both probation officers and DOC staff regarding the compact history, responsibilities, and standards.
• Responsible for the tracking of out-of-state offenders seeking treatment, rehabilitation, education, or criminal history-related treatment within the private sector of Colorado’s treatment community.
• The supervision of Colorado domestic parolees in other states.

Specially assigned community parole officers supervise and document the movement, progress, and violations of Colorado cases placed on supervision or detainers in other states and U.S. Territories. The Colorado Interstate Compact operations is a multi-faceted office which acts under federal and state authority through the Colorado Department of Corrections to provide services to the general public, the private sector, Colorado Probation and the Colorado Department of Corrections. The Compact functions both as advisory in nature and authority in context. The Compact seeks parity for all offenders requesting interstate supervision by maintaining the provisions of acceptance, denial, supervision, and violation procedures nationwide.

"Providing a continuum of transition services from facility into the community through statewide partnerships".

Pre-Release Program

The mission of the Pre-Release Program is to provide a consistent continuum of services between facilities and the community, accessible to all incarcerated adults preparing for release, in order to target the known predictors of recidivism and increase opportunities for successful reentry.

The goal of the Pre-Release Program is to assist individuals to identify critical barriers to successful community reentry and to identify internal strengths and external resources in order to expand individual networks of support. This is accomplished through the development of a transitional action plan in the areas of identification, housing, employment, transportation, money management, education, healthy lifestyles, family, relationships and support systems, victim awareness and restorative justice and living under supervision. 

Community Reentry Program

The mission of Community Reentry, in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Corrections, community parole offices, and community partnerships will enhance public safety by providing comprehensive reentry strategies and interventions that assist each offender under community supervision. This balanced approach to offender management provides a continuum of intervention strategies while maintaining professionalism, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.
 
The Community Reentry unit encompasses services traditionally identified with community reintegration, transitional services, and aftercare services. Community Reentry provides brokered services through state and federal agency partnerships, faith and community based collaborations, case management, and direct support services that afford the division strategies and interventions for a balanced approach to offender management.

Pre-Release Brochure

Reentry Brochure - Partnerships for Change

Reentry Brochure - Employment & Training

The CDOC provides community return to custody facilities (CRCFs) as a cost effective public safety measure for certain non-violent offenders who are revoked by the Parole Board as a result of violating conditions of their parole. The CRCF programs are a partnership with private providers, in lieu of returning the parolee to a CDOC facility. The CRCF programs are required to follow specific standards designed to assist in the management of these offenders.

Download a copy of these CRCF standards by clicking here.

The statewide system of 230 CRCF beds are a risk management option which enables CDOC and the parole board to immediately respond to, and remove as necessary, non-violent felony class 4, 5 and 6 parole violators from the community. The CRCF programming addresses parole set backs, criminogenic needs and provides incentives to earn access back into the community. The programming is designed to address these set backs through treatment and supervision for up to 180 days.

Eligibility criteria for CRCF placement: 

• The offender’s current conviction is non-violent.
• The offender’s current offense is a class 4 felony, excluding stalking, unlawful sexual behavior, wrongs to at-risk adults, or domestic violence.
• The offender’s current offense is a class 5 or 6 felony, excluding menacing, unlawful sexual behavior, or domestic violence.
• The offender has not been convicted of a new crime.
• Sexually violent predators (SVPs) are not eligible for placement in a CRCF.
• The offender does not have an extraditable warrant.
• The parole board shall make the final determination whether or not a parolee is eligible for placement at a CRCF.