Denver has a population of 588,349 and is situated just 15 miles east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is the second largest city in the Mountain West after Phoenix. Due to its status as both a city and a county, Denver has two jails. The City Jail has a rated capacity of 158, and is situated in downtown Denver next to Denver Police Headquarters. The County Jail, located approximately 10 miles from the city center, is a 1,634-bed facility which opened in 1954. While Denver has experienced a decrease in both violent crime and property crime over the past two years, both jails remain over capacity. In 2007, there were a total of 49,770 bookings, with an average daily population of 2,118 (30% over capacity) at the County Jail and 277 (75% over capacity) at the City Jail.
In 2005, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper allocated funds to create the Crime Prevention and Control Commission (CPCC), a commission of criminal justice system stakeholders, service providers and community members working together to examine inefficiencies in Denver’s criminal justice system and specifically address criminal recidivism and the use of jail bed days. The CPCC has launched several new initiatives with these goals in mind, one of which is a jail-to-community reentry process. Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart says, “Helping people returning from prison or jail become successful citizens is one of the most important ways of reducing crime and repeat incarceration. While Denver is already making progress on this front, [TJC] assistance will be a huge boost for our efforts.”
Denver’s excitement about its selection as a TJC site was captured by its Director of Corrections, Undersheriff Bill Lovingier, who said, “I feel confident that we are well positioned and firmly committed to undertaking this venture…I believe the core [Denver TJC] team is able to bring together all facets of the Denver community to maximize our partnership.” Denver looks forward to building up the current partnerships and processes that exist between the criminal justice system, the community, and Denver service providers in order to provide effective services for returning jail inmates.
“Our Crime Prevention and Control Commission has made great strides to reduce overcrowding in our jails by implementing alternatives to incarceration, expediting case processing, and targeting mental health and re-entry efforts,” says Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. “Technical assistance from the National Institute of Corrections and Urban Institute on the Transition from Jail to Community initiative will enhance our comprehensive model and maximize cost-effective reintegration of our citizens into our community.”
For more information, visit the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission website at www.denvergov.org/crimeprevention or contact Shelley Siman: shelley.siman@denvergov.org.
