SB 18-274

Senate Bill 18-274, which has been signed into law, aims to improve how Colorado's Department of Corrections uses its facilities. The bill allows the Centennial South Campus to house inmates and provides funding for necessary modifications, while also renaming the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center as the Denver Correctional Facility and requiring it to offer mental health treatment services. Additionally, starting July 1, 2019, the Centennial North Campus will serve as a transportation unit and support facility. This bill affects how correctional facilities are used and managed in Colorado, potentially leading to more efficient use of space and better inmate care. Since it has been signed, these changes are now being implemented according to the specified timeline.

Official Summary

The bill states that the general assembly intends that the department of corrections (department) shall close excess facilities, as prioritized by a 2013 prison utilization study, when prison population projections indicate excess capacity within correctional facilities. The bill states that on or before June 30, 2019, and thereafter, the department shall operate the Centennial south campus of the Centennial correctional facility to: Administer a diagnostic program; Administer a reentry program; Provide support and other services to the department; and Use the remaining capacity of the campus to house inmates, as appropriate. Current law prohibits the department from operating the Centennial south campus for the purpose of housing inmates in housing units. The bill removes this prohibition and appropriates money to make physical modifications at the Centennial south campus to comply with legal requirements for housing inmates. The bill renames the facility formerly referred to as the 'Denver reception and diagnostic center' as the 'Denver correctional facility' and requires the Denver correctional facility to administer a residential treatment program that provides mental health treatment services to inmates. The department shall also utilize the Denver correctional facility to house inmates with physical, cognitive, and medical conditions that require long-term treatment. The bill states that on and after July 1, 2019, subject to available appropriations, the Centennial north campus shall serve as a transportation unit for the department and as a support facility for the Centennial correctional facility. The bill requires the department to include certain information in its annual 'State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act' report to the committees of reference through 2023. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More

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