End Mandatory Parole In Colorado NOW!
- by: Families of Incarcerated Loved Ones
- recipient: Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado and Colorado Legislators
We want to end Mandatory Parole in Colorado. It has been a dismal failure since it's inception and does nothing to prevent crime. It's a huge money hog and the money being spent on mandatory parole would be better spent on mental health, drug and alcohol counseling and assisting former offenders to start their lives over again.
Colorado's parolee recidivism rate is almost 70%. There has been nothing done to help offenders rehabilitate in prison, in fact all programs both professional and religious have been cut in order to spend money on new prisons. Loved ones and family members pay financial support for offenders both in and out of prison and are being used to finance the entire state prison system. The Colorado taxpayers are also being financially lied to about where their tax dollars are going. Families pay for everything except food and the buildings through exorbitant canteen services, telephone fees and JPay fees. In short, the families and loved ones of offenders are paying for everything except beds and food and the taxpayers are paying for new prisons instead of rehabilitation.
The parole system here in Colorado is setting offenders up to fail. Parole officers look for every way they can to violate a parolee, including making up violations.
Mandatory parole does not work, it has been proven over and over again. Parole is a system set up to find and cause failure. The money being spent on mandatory parole would be better spent on hiring people who have degrees in social work and counseling.
Mandatory parole effectively extends prison sentences from 1 - 5 years. Although courts have disagreed that this is double jeopardy, it is a prison sentence just the same, it just doesn't have bars.
Colorado's parolee recidivism rate is almost 70%. There has been nothing done to help offenders rehabilitate in prison, in fact all programs both professional and religious have been cut in order to spend money on new prisons. Loved ones and family members pay financial support for offenders both in and out of prison and are being used to finance the entire state prison system. The Colorado taxpayers are also being financially lied to about where their tax dollars are going. Families pay for everything except food and the buildings through exorbitant canteen services, telephone fees and JPay fees. In short, the families and loved ones of offenders are paying for everything except beds and food and the taxpayers are paying for new prisons instead of rehabilitation.
The parole system here in Colorado is setting offenders up to fail. Parole officers look for every way they can to violate a parolee, including making up violations.
Mandatory parole does not work, it has been proven over and over again. Parole is a system set up to find and cause failure. The money being spent on mandatory parole would be better spent on hiring people who have degrees in social work and counseling.
Mandatory parole effectively extends prison sentences from 1 - 5 years. Although courts have disagreed that this is double jeopardy, it is a prison sentence just the same, it just doesn't have bars.
We, the families and loved ones of parolees in Colorado respectfully request that the mandatory parole in Colorado be abolished. Mandatory parole has a 70% recidivism rate in Colorado caused by parole officers who look for any way they can to send a parolee back to prison. Many parolees are sent back to prison for new offenses, mandatory parole does nothing to prevent this. Money for mandatory parole would be better spent for rehabilitation, counseling and job training both in and out of prison. Offenders have the right to get on with their lives when they have completed their prison sentence, yet mandatory parole is a huge roadblock to doing that. Many parolees give up because of the stress and paranoia. They go back to their drug/alcohol addiction or they end up committing other offenses in order to survive. Families bear the brunt of the costs of incarceration as well as parole.
Colorado has a terrible reputation with other states as well. Colorado refuses to allow most inmates and parolees to transfer to other states by not submitting interstate transfer paperwork within the required time period. Many offenders would be better off transferring to a different state and getting a new start; yet both prison case managers and parole officers refuse to do the paperwork or come up with some excuse as to why it can't be done.
Please end mandatory parole in Colorado. It's contributing to the crime rate here; it's not preventing or reducing it.
Sign PetitionSign PetitionColorado has a terrible reputation with other states as well. Colorado refuses to allow most inmates and parolees to transfer to other states by not submitting interstate transfer paperwork within the required time period. Many offenders would be better off transferring to a different state and getting a new start; yet both prison case managers and parole officers refuse to do the paperwork or come up with some excuse as to why it can't be done.
Please end mandatory parole in Colorado. It's contributing to the crime rate here; it's not preventing or reducing it.
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