SB23-067 Summary

• Requires the Colorado Department of Corrections to contract with a third-party organization to develop a pre-release and reentry program at Sterling Correctional Facility, with a program developer beginning work no later than August 15, 2023.

• Program must be designed in consultation with residents and provide training in skilled trades, employment-focused activities, education, and mental health counseling, including minimum instruction in postsecondary education, addiction recovery, victim awareness, domestic violence prevention, personal finance, leadership, and alternatives to violence.

• The program developer must report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees by December 31, 2023, with recommendations for statutory changes, staff hiring strategies, funding requirements, and evaluation methods including both quantitative and qualitative data collection.

• Department shall begin operating the program no later than September 1, 2024, and shall include annual reports on program operation and efficacy starting with the 2025 legislative session, with a recommendation on program continuation due during the 2029 legislative session.

• Appropriates $100,000 from the general fund for fiscal year 2023-24 to the Department of Corrections for contract services; the entire statutory provision sunsets and is repealed effective September 1, 2029.