LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT

[<cdonner2@juno.com>]

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT!  January 31, 2001

Capital Development Committee hearing to prioritize Prison Expansion Plans
Committee Vote on February 1st, 7:30 a.m.

COLORADO DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE PRISONS
 EVERY TIME WE BUILD A PRISON CELL WE TAKE $75,000 AWAY FROM BUILDING
SCHOOLS, ROADS, AND OTHER NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE

BACKGROUND:  The Capital Development Committee is responsible for reviewing
all state department requests that require funding to build, renovate and
repair state buildings, including prisons.   Since there are always more
requests than can be funded, the Capital Development Committee "prioritizes"
these requests.  This year the Department of Corrections has submitted
requests to the Capital Development Committee with a total cost of over $88
million for prison expansion and renovation.  COLORADO DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE
PRISONS.  There are several requests that the Prison Moratorium Coalition
specifically opposes:

(1) Ft. Lyon:  The Department of Corrections is requesting $12million to
convert the former VA hospital at Ft. Lyon to a state prison which would
house geriatric, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill prisoners.  We
OPPOSE this request because WE DON'T NEED ANY NEW PRISONS.  Second, Ft. Lyon
was not built as a prison, it is too remote a location to attract the
necessary medical staff and could possibly drain medical staff from
community medical centers. 

(2) Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility:  The Department of Corrections is
requesting $38 million to add a 384 cell, high-security unit at the Arkansas
Valley Correctional Facility.  We OPPOSE this request because WE DON'T NEED
ANY MORE PRISONS.  

The Prison Moratorium Coalition is NOT OPPOSING the expansion of the San
Carlos Correctional Facility, which is designed to provide intensive mental
health treatment for mentally ill prisoners.  Currently, many seriously
mentally ill prisoners in Colorado are not receiving adequate mental health
care treatment.

Make calls today!  Please call the members of the Capital Development
Committee today and let them know that WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE PRISONS.  WE
HAVE OTHER CHOICES.   You could also mention that instead of building more
prisons, WE NEED TO LOOK INTO PAROLE PRACTICES, which are driving the need
for further prison expansion.  The number of people granted parole has been
dropping significantly over the past few years.  Currently, 49% of prisoners
(or 8,000 people) are past their parole eligibility dates but are still
incarcerated.  Over 60% of these people are minimum security prisoners.   
There are a lot of people who could be safely released on parole but aren't.
 Second, over 2,000 parolees were returned to prison last year for a
"technical violation" of parole, most often for repeated drug use, not
because they committed a new felony.   Too often, people are being returned
to prison for a technical violation for which other sanctions (other than
being returned to prison) would be appropriate, including increased
supervision, placement in a half-way house or a short jail term.  Too many
people are being sent back to prison when other sanctions could provide
sufficient punishment for the violation, protect the public, and be more
cost-effective.

Capital Development Committee
Sen. Terry Phillips (D-Boulder) 303.866.5291
Sen. Sue Windels (D-Denver) 303.866.4840
Sen. Andy McElhany (R-Colo Springs) 303.866.4866    
 Rep. Joyce Lawrence (R-Pueblo) 303.866.2922
Rep. Mark Larson (R-Cortez) 303.866.2914	
Rep. Carl Miller (R-Leadville) 303.866.2952

THANK YOU for your commitment to stopping further prison expansion in
Colorado.  For more information, contact Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice
Center at (303) 444-6981 or cdonner2@juno.com  also, see our website
www.prison-moratorium.org


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