CJS collaborates with these agencies to evaluate, supervise and treat individuals who have committed crimes. CJS works with criminal offenders at several stages of their involvement with the criminal justice system:

1. Pre-trial:

• CJS operates the Bond Commissioners Office. Bond Commissioners interview new arrestees and evaluate them as potential candidates for bond.

• CJS also operates the Pretrial supervision unit, which is responsible for the ongoing supervision of defendants as their cases await trial.

• Juvenile detention: CJS operates the Juvenile Assessment Center, which is a 20-bed, short-term intake, assessment and holding facility. Juveniles are detained there for a maximum of 48 hours after being brought into custody. (Juveniles needing to be detained for more than 48 hours are transported to Boulder’s waiting facility in Greeley.)

2. Post-trial/post-sentencing:

• CJS coordinates Boulder County’s Community Corrections operation. This program evaluates convicted felons for possible placement in one of two halfway houses located in the County (one in Boulder and one in Longmont) as an alternative to being sent to prison. This program is funded by the State of Colorado and overseen by CJS, which contracts a private vendor to operate the halfway houses. Halfway house residents are supervised and required to remain crime-free, to pay rent, to work and to participate in appropriate programming.

• Juvenile justice services: CJS runs the Boulder Enhanced Supervision Team (BEST), a supervision program for juveniles who need close supervision to help them make lifestyle changes that will reduce their chances of recidivism. CJS also operates the FOCUS program, a long-term mentoring program that matches higher-risk juveniles to mentors.

CJS presently employs 61 full-time employees and a variety of individuals who work on an hourly basis.

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2. What is Community Corrections?

In 1976, the Colorado legislature authorized the state funding of Community Corrections as an alternative to prison. Referred to as Senate Bill IV (CRS 17-27-101), this statute encouraged the judicial system to divert convicted offenders away from the Department of Corrections to residential and non-residential community corrections programs.

Community Corrections is designed to promote and protect public safety while successfully integrating offenders back into the community. Offenders are either diverted from prison or in transition from prison to the community. The two halfway houses in Boulder County provide residential services as a bridge between incarceration and return to the community. Felony offenders referred for placement are carefully screened for appropriateness by a local board, known as the Community Corrections Board. This board is appointed by the Boulder County Commissioners. Its membership includes local criminal justice system public servants and community residents. This board also authorizes the expenditure of state funds to pay for a client’s placement in one of the halfway houses. Public safety is always the priority.

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3. How is an offender’s sentence determined?

Sentences are based on a number of factors, including the seriousness of a crime and a convicted person’s level of risk to the community. State statutes govern the types and lengths of sentences individuals may receive, based on type of crime. The convicted person’s needs (such as the need for substance abuse treatment) and the concerns of crime victims are also taken into consideration. General sentence ranges are agreed to by the parties during presentence negotiations and are imposed by a sentencing judge, so long as the judge agrees with the negotiated agreement.

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4. Why would someone be sent to a halfway house instead of prison?

Community corrections facilities are often referred to as halfway houses because they are “halfway” between prison and the community. In 1976, the Colorado legislature authorized the state funding of Community Corrections as an alternative to prison. Referred to as Senate Bill IV (CRS 17-27-101), this statute encouraged the judicial system to divert convicted non-violent offenders away from the Department of Corrections to residential and non-residential community corrections programs. This was done to increase the chances for offenders’ successful reintegration into society while greatly reducing prison overcrowding and the cost of housing offenders in prisons.

The goal of community corrections is to successfully return offenders to their community through stable employment and housing, financial responsibility, improved life skills, and drug and alcohol sobriety.

• The average daily cost for a community corrections bed is $37.18 compared to a prison bed cost of $75.58

• Close monitoring and supervision support these goals while ensuring community safety. CMI reports that 74% of Boulder County clients were released successfully from the program in 2007/08.

• The most recent state research reports that for cases closed successfully between 2000 and 2004, nearly 85% of offenders successfully released from community corrections programs remained crime-free for 12 months and 75% remained crime-free for 24 months.

Residents are required to work and pay for their room and board, participate in counseling (as needed), drug and alcohol testing, and cognitive behavioral and life skills training. They must pay restitution and child support as determined by their sentences/circumstances.

The halfway houses are staffed 24 hours a day, every day. The program provides monitoring of client whereabouts, random house counts and room searches for purposes of security and containment. Violation of program and supervision requirements can result in a return to prison.

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5. How does a Halfway House (community corrections facility) work?

1. A convicted person is referred to a halfway house as part of his/her sentence or a condition of parole or probation.
    

2. Staff at the house utilize an assessment process to establish the need of the client and the level of containment required to enhance public safety. CMI believes program elements in community corrections should be based on accurate and thorough assessment of the clients' risk, needs, and pre-disposition toward change.
    

3. An individualized program plan is established for each client to remediate elements that might make the client at risk to commit future crimes. The individualized programs promote the client’s ability to become a functioning member of society. These plans:
   • Promote commitment to change
   • Target the pressures and areas that have led to criminal behavior, are associated with recidivism, and which can be changed in the client's life
   • Match the client’s learning ability
   • Include elements that provide short-term social control measures (supervision and monitoring) to reduce recidivism risk while the client works on long-range change (treatment and skills acquisition)
   • Subject clients who are considered higher risk or higher need to a more intensive level of supervision
   • Require clients to maintain full time employment or be involved in a full time educational/vocational programming
   • Ensure that clients pay court-ordered restitution, child support and other such expenses, as well as establish a savings account. On average, BCTC clients pay a total of approximately $30,000 restitution each year.
    

4. Clients are monitored and supervised, and their plans and levels of restriction are adjusted according to their behavior, risk level and progress.
    

5. In Boulder County, criminal offenders are sent to halfway houses operated by CMI, Inc.
   • In addition to residential supervision, the facilities provide approved offenders with non-residential services including case management, supervision, sobriety testing and other services as set by sentencing or probation requirements. Non-residential supervision (i.e. participants do not live at the facility but still come to the facility for services as part of their program) follows successful completion of the residential component.
   • The facility is staffed 24x7.
   • Staff provide drug and alcohol testing, phone and field monitoring of the clients’ whereabouts, random house counts, pat-downs and room searches.
   • Clients are required to participate in a program to address cognitive behavioral training, life skills groups, employment and financial counseling, and other individualized needs that have led to their criminal behavior.
   • Direct Sentence Clients must, at a minimum, be required to maintain a savings account, pay restitution to the victims (if required), maintain stable employment, provide negative drug and alcohol tests, participate in required therapy and cognitive behavioral groups prior to release to the non-residential program.

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6. How is the public kept safe from felons released into the community?

Only criminal offenders who are deemed appropriate and approved by both a judge and the Community Corrections Board are released to serve their sentences or probation at the halfway houses. Most offenders sent to halfway houses are non-violent offenders; the small portion of offenders who have committed violent crimes are thoroughly assessed and determined to be safe to participate in the program.

The halfway house facility is staffed 24x7. Individual program plans are developed to ensure the greatest chance of success for the client, including higher or lower levels of supervision and monitoring of clients depending on their risk factors. Their case managers and probation officers work with them to ensure that they are complying with the terms of their sentences/probation. To reduce chances of recidivism, staff provides drug and alcohol testing, phone and field monitoring of the clients’ whereabouts, random house counts, pat-downs and room searches.

The program also plans for long-term safety of the community by seeking full rehabilitation of clients and helping them reintegrate into society and obtain steady employment. Clients are required to participate in programs to address cognitive behavioral training, life skills groups, employment and financial counseling, and other individualized needs that have led to their criminal behavior.

Residents are required to maintain a savings account, maintain stable employment, provide negative drug and alcohol tests and participate in required therapy and cognitive behavioral groups prior to release to the non-residential program.

Finally, residents and non-residential clients of the halfway house that do not meet these requirements may be sent back to the courts to be re-evaluated and possibly sent to prison.

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7. Who runs the halfway house?

Boulder County contracts with a private company, Correctional Management Inc (CMI), to operate the Boulder and Longmont Community Treatment Centers. Learn more about CMI and the halfway houses by reading the CMI fact sheet or visit their website at www.c-m-i.com.

8. How is this funded?

All funding for community corrections placement, programming and supervision is provided by the state of Colorado. Boulder County Community Justice Services receives funds from the state to provide Community Corrections services from an approved provider. In fiscal year 2007/08, Boulder County received $1,206,743 for community corrections funding. These are the dollars that are allocated by the Community Corrections Board. The state budget is $48 million to fund 2,998 residential beds.

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9. Definitions:

Bond – A bond is a promise to appear made by a criminal defendant to a court and allows a defendant to be released from custody. Violation of a bond can result in a return to incarceration.

Bond Commissioner - A bond commissioner is a county employee who works for Community Justice Services. Bond Commissioners are authorized by statute to evaluate arrested individuals for appropriateness for release on bond.

Boulder Enhanced Supervision Team – B.E.S.T. officers work with at-risk youth in order to assist them in meeting their obligations to a court and to prevent them from being incarcerated.

Community Corrections – Authorized by state statute, community corrections sentences are sentences to the Department of Corrections which allow convicted felons to remain in their communities instead of being incarcerated in a Department of Corrections facility.

Community Corrections Board – Authorized by state statute, local Community Corrections boards are empowered to evaluate convicted felons for appropriateness for placement in local halfway houses.

Criminal Justice System – The network of government agencies in a given community which are charged with the application of state, local and federal statutes as they apply to criminal behavior. Law enforcement agencies, the courts, district attorneys, defense attorneys, probation departments, jails and other entities comprise criminal justice systems.

Criminal offender – A person who has been charged with and/or convicted of a violation of a municipal, state, or federal offense.

Enhanced supervision –Programs designed to increase the likelihood that higher-risk defendants will comply with their bonds or their sentences.

Felon/Felony – Persons convicted of felony offenses can be sentenced to incarceration in a facility operated by the Department of Corrections of the State of Colorado.

Halfway house – A Community Corrections facility in which are housed a variety of inmates, including convicted felons who might otherwise be sentenced to incarceration in a Department of Corrections facility.

Juvenile – A person who is under eighteen years of age.

20th Judicial District – The State of Colorado judicial district which encompasses Boulder County.

Misdemeanor – Persons convicted of a misdemeanor can be sentenced to in incarceration in a local county jail.

Parole – A persons convicted of a felony and sentenced to incarceration in the Department of Corrections (DOC) system can be released to their community on parole after they have served a portion of their sentence in a DOC facility.

Pretrial – The period of time between the filing of criminal charges and conviction.

Probation – A person convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony can be granted a period of supervision on probation in lieu of s sentence to jail or prison.

Probation Officer – An officer of the court who is charged with ensuring that a person granted probation complies with the various terms and conditions of his or her probationary term, as set by the sentencing court.