Community Corrections' programs are a proven and cost-effective means of assisting the state in managing our client population:

Community Corrections' programs serve as a viable alternative to incarceration in prison. Community Corrections‘ programs provide services for persons convicted of less severe felony offenses who are diverted from prison by the courts and services for persons who are being transitioned back to the community from prison. The goal of Community Corrections‘ Programs is to return clients to society as law-abiding citizens through a process of treatment, monitoring, and accountability.

Community Corrections‘ programs have a broad base of community support in Colorado. There are 23 Community Corrections Boards located in 22 Judicial Districts throughout the state. The Boards make clients referrals to 34 residential Community Corrections programs that are privately operated or administered by units of state and local government. In FY 2003-04, residential community corrections programs had 5,018 clients discharges.*

Of all Community Corrections' clients who successfully completed community corrections programs between Fiscal Years 2000-2004, 85 percent remained crime-free after being at risk for 12 months and 75 percent remained crime-free after being at risk for 24 months. The study also noted that program participation in classes such as family services, education, budgeting, and drug and alcohol abuse increases success rates. **

Community Corrections' programs provide high quality services to clients, including substance abuse treatment, anger management/domestic violence, mental health, GED classes, cognitive restructuring classes and parenting classes.

Community Corrections' programs protect the community by monitoring clients to assure they are not allowed to continue their criminal patterns. This includes monitoring for substance abuse. In FY 2003-2004, only 1.7% of the clients in Community Corrections' programs were terminated for new crimes. *

Clients are required to pay room and board, establish a savings account, and pay restitution. The monthly average income for community corrections‘ clients in FY 2003-04 was $914. In FY 2003-04, Community Corrections' clients paid a total of $945,239 in state taxes, $2,184,493 in federal taxes and $2,285,036 in restitution. *

Community Corrections' beds are the least expensive beds in the state. Based on figures obtained from the Joint Budget Committee, Community Corrections' beds cost $34.70 a day versus $73.46 a day for Department of Corrections' beds in FY 2004-05.*** The graph below displays the cost differences

* Annual, Statistical Report, FY 2003-2004, Page 7 & 14, Office of Community Corrections Division of Criminal Justice, Department of Public Safety ** State of Colorado, Office of Research and Statistics, May 2006, Community Corrections in Colorado: A Study of Program Outcomes and Recidivism, FY 00-04 *** JBC Staff Budget Briefing Documents for the Department of Corrections and Division of Criminal Justice, January 3, 2006