Senate Bill 050 (SB-050), concerning work opportunities for persons imprisoned in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC), was signed into law Wednesday afternoon by Governor Jared Polis.
This legislation will provide for the reorganization and modernization of the Colorado Correctional Industries (CCi) program.
The Correctional Industries Act, passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 1976, provided for a correctional industries program to be operated on a financially profitable basis. CCi is a state enterprise that has struggled to maintain solvency and has operated at a loss for several consecutive years, requiring a reorganization and downsizing, necessitating consolidation and program closures. SB-050 removes the requirement for CCi to make a profit, thereby allowing DOC to focus on work programs that benefit the reentry and reintegration of the incarcerated population, rather than focusing on programs that create revenue.
As CCi is reorganized, integration of DOC’s Take TWO (Transitional Work Opportunity) program is critical to the work life of the incarcerated population. The Take TWO model recruits private employers to hire incarcerated individuals to work. Some of these programs resemble a work release program, while others can be operationalized inside of DOC institutions. The model requires that inmates are paid at least state minimum wage and provides optional opportunities for employment after release.
“This statutory change is one more step in the direction of better serving the reentry needs of men and women returning to our communities,” said Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Dean Williams.
The integration of Take TWO and CCi programs will serve the incarcerated population in the state of Colorado by ensuring greater work opportunities, post-incarceration job opportunities, and re-entry support and will provide prevailing wages to participants, increasing opportunities for successful reintegration.
“Colorado has one of the highest recidivism rates and SB-050 will help prevent inmates from reoffending,” said Representative Matt Soper, “by allowing inmates to work and be paid and to build savings to help pay for rent, food, and other necessities post-release. A job and stability at home is the most effective means to reduce crime.”
SB-050 ensures that Take TWO programs and CCi programs function under the same division at DOC and gives DOC greater flexibility to recruit, organize, and create work programs that focus on providing meaningful work opportunities that provide skilled training, accountability, responsibility and higher inmate wages. SB-050 will also allow DOC to reorganize work programs with the aim of raising inmate wages without the use of tax dollars.
