Community Corrections in Colorado
1957 - Wayne K. Patterson persuaded the legislature to use inmates from the State Reformatory to build
small parks adjacent to highways around the state.
1960 - Ray Bright, as an employee of the State Reformatory, began the development of the first honor work
camp in Delta County.
1967 - The Work Release Act (C.R.S. 16-11-212) is passed.
1969 - Bails Hall, a Division of Corrections work-release center, is established in Denver.
1971 - The Veteran's Administration opens a residential treatment program for Vietnam veterans.
- The Mesa County Work Release Program started serving county jail inmates.
- Empathy House in Boulder started serving Federal Bureau of Prisons and county inmates.
1972 - Pikes Peak Mental Health Center in Colorado Springs started a residential treatment program for
offenders called Adult Forensics Program.
- The Pueblo Sheriff's Department initiated a county work-release program for misdemeanant
offenders.
1973 - An interim legislative committee began hearings on the need for community corrections legislation.
- Southwest Denver Mental Health Program started a residential community corrections program called
Walden Community Treatment Center.
1974 - Senate Bill 55, the first Community Corrections Act (C.R.S. 105-10-101), is passed by the legislature.
- Stepping Stone, a residential community corrections program to serve Federal Bureau of Prisons
inmates, opens in Denver.
- A private organization called Our House, establishes a residential program in Pueblo for clients with
substance abuse problems.
1975 - The Larimer County Commissioners approve the establishment of a local community corrections
board pursuant to SB 55. A non-residential program was started this same year in Larimer County.
- The Division of Corrections wrote an LEAA Grant and received funding for a residential work and
educational release program which is set up at Ft. Logan in southwest Denver.
1976 - Senate Bill 3, (C.R.S. 17-27-101, et seq.) passes with a small amount of purchase of services monies
($301,000.00). This statute encourages the judicial system to divert adjudicated non-violent offenders
away from Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities by sentencing them to residential and non-residential community corrections programs.
- Hilltop House is established in Durango.
- Loft House is established in Adams County.
- Denver Sheriff's Department starts the Phase I Program.
- Emerson House is established in Denver.
1977 - Community Responsibility Center is established in Jefferson County.
- Williams Street Center is established in Denver.
- ComCor is established in Colorado Springs.
- S.B. 587, an omnibus corrections bill, creates the Department of Corrections. Though included in this
bill, the substance of the Community Corrections Act is not changed from its 1976 form.
1978 - The legislature transferred diversion and purchase of service appropriations to DOC.
- OASIS, a non-residential program, is established in Denver.
- The Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) publishes a Community Corrections Master Plan.
- Independence House Family, a residential community corrections program, is established in Denver.
1979 - The legislature passes an amendment to the Community Corrections Act authorizing local community
corrections boards to screen transitional clients.
1980 - A Division of Criminal Justice study recommends an increase in community corrections funding as a
way to avoid creating additional prison beds.
1981 - Diversion monies are transferred from DOC to the State Judicial Department.
- Community corrections boards are established in the 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, and 20th judicial
districts.
1982 - San Luis Valley Community Corrections is established in Alamosa.
- Correctional Alternative Placement Services is established in Craig.
- Weld County Non-residential Program is established.
- Alpha Center is established in Denver County.
- Rocky Mountain Community Corrections is established in Pueblo.
- Community corrections boards are established in the 7th and 9th judicial districts.
1983 - House Bill 1203 (C.R.S. 17-27-105(5) et seq.) is passed clarifying that direct sentences to community
corrections may be subject to an additional year of probation supervision and that probation supervise
all diversion offenders. The bill also gives facility directors authorization to have an offender in
community corrections arrested (C.R.S. 17-27-114).
- Arapahoe Community Treatment Center is established in Arapahoe County.
- A community corrections boards are established in the 1st and 15th judicial districts.
- Community Responsibility Center establishes a community corrections program which accepts female
offenders throughout the state.
- A study on prison overcrowding indicates that six-percent of inmates (or 190) were low-risk, were
twelve months or less from their parole eligibility date, and were not in community corrections.
1984 - The Restitution Center is established in Weld County.
- ComCor, a county agency in Colorado Springs, is re-named Pikes Peak Community Corrections and
establishes itself as a non-profit corporation.
1985 - The 7th Judicial District contracts with Rocky Mountain West Community Corrections to provide
diversion residential and non-residential services.
1986 - The administration of transition and diversion funds are consolidated and transferred to the Division of
Criminal Justice.
1987 - The Community Corrections Advisory Council is established.
1988 - The Colorado Association of Community Corrections Boards (CACCB) is established.
- The first set of community corrections residential standards are developed to establish minimum
expectations for all programs and to establish measures by which to analyze program quality.
1989 - The first community corrections audits are conducted to determine levels of compliance with
residential standards.
1991 - The community corrections non-residential standards are developed to provide more consistency to
supervision and services of non-residential programs.
1993 - HB 1233 is passed which restructures the statutes related to community corrections.