Move prisoners to Colorado? Hold your horses, Idaho

I thought it might be useful to offer some perspective and history from Colorado, since it appears that no one in Idaho talked to any of us before devising this ill-conceived plan with CoreCivic to transfer 1,000 of its higher risk and more problematic inmates to Colorado.

Here are a few things about us that are important for folks in Idaho to know.

Colorado law requires our Department of Correction director to approve this plan before any transfer can occur and that he works for a governor who has been very vocal about ending the use of private prisons in Colorado.

Colorado law does not allow inmates higher than medium risk to be housed in a private prison.

When Colorado housed inmates at Kit Carson Correctional Center, we had to have a cap of no more than 800 inmates because of chronic staffing shortages given the rural location of the prison.

Colorado has had a history of having to respond to quell multiple riots at private prisons when they have housed out-of-state inmates.

In response to recent press reports of the Idaho plan, the Colorado General Assembly rapidly passed a bill, that the governor has indicated he will sign, that requires the Colorado Department of Corrections director to develop criteria to protect the health, safety and financial interests of Coloradans prior to making this decision. The bill also gives him the authority to rescind that approval with 60 days’ notice if there are any violations of his criteria subsequent to his approval.

A recent poll of Coloradans found that only 20% thought our director of Corrections should approve Idaho’s transfer request.

While Idaho may be willing to pay $75.50 per day to CoreCivic, the Colorado General Legislature is much more fiscally responsible and is paying CoreCivic $57.94 a day to house our inmates in its private prisons.

Did anyone do their homework on Colorado? If you think we are going to roll out a red carpet, you’d be wise to think again.