Jail Standards Commission Recommendations

Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning Colorado Jail Standards. There is currently a jail standards oversight committee and commission (oversight committee and commission) tasked with developing jail standards in Colorado. The oversight committee and commission are set to repeal on July 1, 2024. The bill repeals the commission and extends the oversight committee until September 1, 2033. Each county jail shall comply with the standards adopted by the oversight committee beginning July 1, 2026. The oversight committee shall post the standards on its website. If the oversight committee revises a jail standard, each county jail shall comply with the revised standard no later than one year after the revision is adopted, or earlier if specified by the oversight committee when adopting the revision.

The bill creates a jail standards advisory committee (advisory committee). The advisory committee consists of:

• 2 sheriffs appointed by a statewide organization representing the county sheriffs of Colorado;
• 2 county commissioners appointed by Colorado counties, incorporated;
• The state public defender or the state public defender's designee;
• One physical or behavioral health professional with experience working in a jail appointed by the oversight committee; and
• One person representing a statewide organization that advocates on behalf of people experiencing incarceration appointed by the oversight committee.

The duties of the advisory committee include, but are not limited to:

• Utilize peer assessors selected by the advisory committee to perform assessments of a jail's physical facilities and its written policies and procedures to assess compliance with jail standards;
• Provide the oversight committee with recommendations for revising jail standards and ways to address jail needs necessary to comply with jail standards; and
• Provide the oversight committee with recommendations to address jail needs necessary to comply with jail standards.

The advisory committee may also establish a process to grant variances from the jail standards to local jails.

The bill creates the jail standards advisory committee cash fund to fund the activities of the advisory committee.

The bill requires the attorney general to conduct assessments of jails, in conjunction with the advisory committee, for compliance with jail standards. The attorney general may also conduct an independent special assessment of a jail when requested by the governor, the oversight committee, or a sheriff. The attorney general shall prepare a report of each special assessment.

The advisory committee shall annually submit a report to the oversight committee.

The bill requires the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety to create a list of funding assistance available to jails to offset the costs of compliance with the jail standards.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)