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Ritter has plan to cut prison costs by $380 million

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 30, 2008 at 3:07 p.m.

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Gov. Ritter says his plan would cut $380 million from prison costs.

Photo by George Kochaniec Jr. / The Rocky

Gov. Ritter says his plan would cut $380 million from prison costs.

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Gov. Bill Ritter used a joint meeting with the 27-member Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice on Thursday to announce his plan to save $380 million in skyrocketing prison costs over the next five years.

His proposed 2009-10 crime prevention and recidivism package, which carries a one-year price tag of $10.6 million, is part of his fiscal year 2009-10 budget proposal. It will be submitted this weekend to the legislature's Joint Budget Committee.

Done right, the governor said, Colorado could eliminate the planned 2,061-bed expansion of the Trinidad Correctional Facility. Its projected cost, $336 million, is included in the governor's projected savings.

The governor's plan would emphasize prevention services for youth, non-prison programs for non-violent offenders, substance-abuse treatment and offender education.

Ritter also praised the crime panel, which, in turn, presented Ritter with its own 10 months' of work embodied in a preliminary set of 66 recommendations on how to cut costs. The final report is expected in December.

Ritter, a former prosecutor, assured the panel that this was a cooperative effort and details of the two plans could mesh. His own package "doesn't take the place of your work ... this is a dynamic conversation," Ritter told the gathering of more than 100 people, including commission members, corrections experts and elected officials.

The key to reducing costs, Ritter said, is reducing recidivism — repeat offenders. The bad news is that adult recidivism increased from 50 to 53 percent in roughly the last three years. Ritter said that reducing recidivism would cost money at first, but ultimately save more.

"It's important for us to get this right," he said. In a stormy economy, when taxpayers are stressed and revenue numbers are difficult to project, it's important "to be prudent, frugal and responsible with taxpayer money."

Ritter acknowledged that for taxpayers and the public, "there's a great deal of nervousness when people in public office begin talking about public safety issues ... you have to understand public safety will remain the paramount concern."

Ritter also gave some opinions on the commission's preliminary recommendations, saying, "I affirm the direction you've taken," and singled out several reforms he agreed with.

The area of technical violations needs reform, he said, noting that many felons return to prison not because they commit new crimes but because they technically violate their probation. He agreed such breaches could be dealt, for example, with jail days, "not always the sledgehammer of a prison bed."

He agreed there should be a comprehensive review of the "overworked" parole system.

He also cited behavioral issues as a needed reform, given that 78 percent of inmates have substance abuse problems and nearly 29 percent have mental health issues.

He also liked the idea of offering inmates opportunities for higher education, subject to "fiscal realities."

He was far less enthusiastic about the commission's recommendation to increase "earned time," which would let inmates out early who had earned it in some way, such as by demonstrating good behavior or reaching an educational goal.

From his experience as a prosecutor, Ritter said, he knew that idea was controversial. "The devil will absolutely be in the details and we'll have to wait for those devils — those details — to emerge," Ritter said, to laughter.

Comments

  • October 30, 2008

    3:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    davies writes:

    The old policy pendulum just keeps swinging when it comes to crime. Back and forth it goes, between "lock 'em up!" and "rehabilitate 'em!"

    We need both of course.

  • October 30, 2008

    3:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    Tax Ritter's plan is charge 'em all with Agricultural Trespass and turn 'em loose. What a looser.

    Scott

  • October 30, 2008

    3:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    wyhammertime writes:

    That's the same thing I was thinking Scott !!!

  • October 30, 2008

    3:59 p.m.

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    DontBelieveWhatURead writes:

    Scott stole my thunder! With Ag Tresspass then we have to deal the the scum. Hey Gov Bill build the prison it's only $336 million. The treasury will print some more!

  • October 30, 2008

    4:01 p.m.

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    badbob writes:

    You nailed it Scott, don't even apprehend and convict to begin with! Go Ritter!

  • October 30, 2008

    4:13 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sweetater writes:

    How about starting by taking away their cable television and all the other extras they have ? saw a documentery years ago that the prisnors had thier cell and worked on road crews and demolition crews ,5 states in the south had adopted the idea cut thier budget for city landscaping and road work also cutting the % of repeat offenders. They had no fluff at all in their prison systems.

  • October 30, 2008

    4:29 p.m.

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    SanctuaryCity writes:

    Ritter wants to cut $$$? Not a typical tax ritter. If he really wants to cut, deport em or capital punishment

  • October 30, 2008

    4:32 p.m.

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    BellaBlueBooks68 writes:

    They live better than me. I am a victim of a violent crime and inmates live better. I live on 800.00 month and 162 in food stamps. I am living worse they are some months. I am truly over my being a victim. But well they shouldn't be living better than me.

  • October 30, 2008

    4:37 p.m.

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    tromiano writes:

    Huh, I guess this is part of his Plan B if Amendment 58 doesn't pass. I wonder to whom he will want to divert the saved funds first? Oh, I know! To local law enforcement - we'll be needing it after this!!

  • October 30, 2008

    4:45 p.m.

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    earlbowden writes:

    "Gov. Bill Ritter said today Colorado could save $380 million over the next five years by adopting his proposed 2009-10 crime prevention and recidivism package."

    I could save you that much money, too - fry everyone on death row.

  • October 30, 2008

    4:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    goAvs writes:

    Amen freethought. Rather than putting non-violent drug offenders in jail, we should be fining them, forcing them into rehab all night and giving them community service labor all day. Make them mow ditches, pick up garbage along the road or clean up lazy people's dog crap from parks. We should put them to use and limit the amount of free time they have until they can go without the drug.

    Weed should just be decriminalized and taxed and that could only help relieve our tax burden.

  • October 30, 2008

    5:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    dlprobert writes:

    Ya know, if we legalized the good herb, we could actually do some real good with the taxes we could make. Everyone wins!!! The taxes generated by legalizing pot alone would be more than the money Ritter says he wants to save, just look at how much money comes in from liquor taxes, and the savings from having to prosecute all these minor offenders would be another burden removed from us, the taxpayers, let alone the space saved in the prisons. The problem is, we now have a "private" prison industry that would fight that tooth and nail....god forbid they lose that easy money that they get from guarding a bunch of potheads!

  • October 30, 2008

    5:17 p.m.

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    Who_Me writes:

    earlbowden - either a troll hoping to get a response to his quick wit, or he really means "fry everyone on death row." Does that include your child should he or she ever make it there, and does that include the 100+ men who have been taken off death row because of advances in DNA testing, and who, guess what, were innocent, just like they claimed to be?

  • October 30, 2008

    5:24 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    WHATRIGHTS writes:

    freethought and goAvs,
    Nice Posts!

    "forcing them into rehab all night and giving them community service labor all day. Make them mow ditches, pick up garbage along the road or clean up lazy people's dog crap from parks. We should put them to use and limit the amount of free time they have until they can go without the drug."

    I would like to add....send them the rehab bill, that way taxpayers don't have to pay for them either!

  • October 30, 2008

    5:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    joggle writes:

    Need I remind all of you that Bill Ritter is a former prosecutor? I think he knows as well as anyone why our prisons are so full: the high rate of recidivism. That's correct, throwing people in jail doesn't dissuade them from doing more crimes after they get out.

    There are many studies out there that show how to lower the rates of recidivism and to prevent crimes in the first place and none of them (to my knowledge) state that adding more prisons would decrease the recidivism rates.

    Other countries manage to have much lower rates of recidivism but I'm sure you wouldn't care about the details of how they are able to achieve that.

  • October 30, 2008

    6:35 p.m.

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    spyder writes:

    Yeah! They charge them with Ag. Trespass - give them a $25.00 fine and then they can go and change their name and then the old person is not charged with anymore crimes. Of course, he could go after the REAL CRIMINALS that rip companies off for millions of dollars, take their $XXX million golden parachute and say, "I didn't know that was going on. It was just a co-incidence that I sold my stocks while telling everybody that worked UNDER me, to BUY as MUCH as they could!!! Their pensions are SAFE!" Or, certain "legal professionals", that do 'naughty' things like using state/county/federal systems to access porn - hire and then intimidate prostitutes - then 'resign' as punishment, when a regular person would be looking at 30 years. You wanted him Colorado - You Got him... Gov. Ritter!

  • October 30, 2008

    6:47 p.m.

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    FCZ writes:

    Catch and release does not work.

    Not here, not in England...

    Look it up.

  • October 30, 2008

    7:34 p.m.

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    dlprobert writes:

    ya know, I have been trying, for months now, to figure out just what Obama's middle name has to do with anything. Last time I checked...my parents named me!

  • October 30, 2008

    8:41 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    raoul writes:

    typical liberals

    coddle the criminals with kid gloves.

    wow, what a deterrent.

    doesn't matter to him anyway. he's got his armed security and the rest of us are left to defend ourselves with faith in law enforcement and the court system.

    hey honest and law-abiding folk: don't try to own and carry a weapon, Ritter's got you covered.

    what a fraud you liberals are.

  • October 30, 2008

    8:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    davies writes:

    The continuing myth of people being in prison for drug use needs to be explained and refuted from time to time. Most people that have been convicted of drug use and/or simple possession, and sentenced to prison, have plea-bargained down from a more serious crime, usually distribution. They're dealers. And if they were sentenced to prison time, it's also likely as a result of multiple prior offenses.

    I'm fine with legalizing marijuana though. And then let's raise some tax revenues from it! But it will take federal legislation, not just the State of Colorado.

    As for Ritter's plan, I hope the $336 million he wants to save on the Trinidad prison is spent towards meaningful recidivism programs, not just hugs for thugs.

  • October 30, 2008

    9:17 p.m.

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    roger44 writes:

    won't work, and the crime rate will go up.

  • October 30, 2008

    10:54 p.m.

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    olsonmt writes:

    Hard walls, hard bed, hard work, hard time... hard money in the bank.

  • October 31, 2008

    5:11 a.m.

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    rumplstilskin writes:

    Marijuana will probably never be legalized more than what it is now because the government can't control it. That plant would be in everyones yards and no one will buy it from the government. It would probably still be controlled through the black market.

  • October 31, 2008

    6:09 a.m.

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    sersam writes:

    My memory served up that the only program that I know of that worked. It was for juveniles and young men when they were offerred a choice between army and jail. The army was tough enough and gave them training on discipline and how to dependably show up and fit in to a society. Our army today won't take that kind of volunteer.

  • October 31, 2008

    7:27 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dick_Tater writes:

    cutting costs = letting criminals go free

  • October 31, 2008

    7:41 a.m.

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    Support_your_Officers writes:

    Everyone needs to realize how many chances non violent inmates get before coming to prison. It is VERY common for inmates to have MULTIPLE probation revocations prior to be sentenced to prison. They have their chances and keep F***ing up. What else can you do for them

  • October 31, 2008

    8:10 a.m.

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    Support_your_Officers writes:

    Also, recidivism figures are a joke. It only takes into account inmates that return to prison within 3 years of release. Many are sent back to prison more than 3 years later. The actual rate is probably more like 85-90%. It goes to show..... once a drain on society, always a drain. Most are criminals by choice and no amount of "programs" will change that.

  • October 31, 2008

    9:26 a.m.

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    SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

    "He also liked the idea of offering inmates opportunities for higher education, subject to "fiscal realities."

    Great, rather than skimping and salting money away for my childrens' college, I will instead steer them to a life of crime. Crime pays!

    Bad message, Governor. Really bad message.

  • October 31, 2008

    9:47 a.m.

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    OldSailor writes:

    Don't build a prison, buy tents like Joe Arpaio

    http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetMo...

    and execute those on Death Row and I agree with legalizing Marijuana

  • October 31, 2008

    10:05 a.m.

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    kodijack writes:

    I agree with everyone who wants to decriminalize victim less crimes, like drug use. Now drug dealing, that should be dealt with even harsher, until the government gets to tax it. ;)

  • November 1, 2008

    12:08 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    pfwag writes:

    Any discussion of prison costs or reform that does not address the impact and costs of illegal aliens is PC BS.

    Reportedly, there are 5,000 illegal aliens incarcerated in Colorado. That is costing us over $100 million/year.

    The total costs of illegal aliens in Colorado is upwards of $3 BILLION/year. One politician is talking about it and has documentation: http://www.cohd23.com/Immigration.html