DENVER - Tom Clements was appointed the new director of Colorado's Department of Corrections here on Monday by Governor- elect John Hickenlooper.
Clements has over 30 years experience in the Missouri Department of Corrections and is leaving his position as director of adult institutions in Missouri to head Colorado's powerful prison industry. Clements is replacing the controversial former prison czar Ari Zavaras who helped grow the Colorado prison system despite a state wide budget crisis.
While other states were downsizing their prison industries, Zavaras lobbied the legislature for an additional $10 million to open a new $160 million maximum security prison. Critics and fellow correctional officers disagreed with the plan to open the new prison, arguing that the state already had enough maximum security prison capacity with its other two maximum facilities. The legislature yielded to Zavaras' demands to increase the prison budget while cutting $260 million from K-12 education.
The new prison director seems to have different priorities saying, "With today's economic challenges, it is more important than ever that correctional resources be used to produce positive and measurable public safety benefits.'' Hickenlooper hinted at a change in prison policy saying, "He (Clements) understands parole and probation programs and has extensive experience with community corrections.''
A change in the state's abusive prison practices would be welcome, Colorado has one of the largest prison populations per capita in the nation and one of the most regressive parole programs. Currently one out of every 28 Colorado citizens is under correctional control. The state's growing prison industry is all but suffocating other state responsibilities with its ballooning $700 million annual budget. Clearly Clements and Hickenlooper have their work cut out for them; hopefully they are up to the challenge.
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