New CDOC Policy to Put General Population Most Dangerous Back into General Population

CANON CITY, Colo., Correctional Officers here were notified this week during shift roll call that CDOC decision makers have ordered the move of some of Colorado's most dangerous prisoners to medium security facilities in the Fremont Correctional Complex.

According to an officer present at the role call, but speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, Marvin Gray the violent serial rapist was referenced by name as one of the segregation inmates selected for the move along with other inmates legendary for their prison violence.

The decision follows the announcement by Director of Prisons, Tom Clements, that 321 inmates would be moved from the state's controversial segregation prisons.

Recently Colorado received criticism from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and two national corrections experts that said Colorado relies too heavily on this abusive form of incarceration that keeps inmates isolated and locked up 23 hours a day for years.

The policy gamesmanship to reintegrate the most dangerous back into general population while leaving less dangerous inmates in segregation is a common CDOC practice when it comes to implementing policies they disagree with. When former Gov. Bill Ritter announced a policy to release some nonviolent inmates six months early to reduce prison expenses and bolster the state's hemorrhaging education budget, CDOC rebelled and publicly disagreed with Ritter's policy. After a messy public battle fought in the media, CDOC leaked the names and criminal records of the inmates they chose to release early. The inmates turned out to be some of the most dangerous habitual criminals eligible for the program.

The Denver Post, supporting CDC's position, published full color mug shots of the inmates along with their rap sheets on the front-page above the fold. Ritter promptly suspended the early release program following the media blitz and the public fear it created.

Prison advocacy groups that watch prison policy say we could well be seeing the next round of CDOC muscle flexing in response to a growing tide of prison reformers who want to cut the prison population and budget. If this is the game CDOC is playing, expect some of the most dangerous inmates moved to general population followed by a damaging press release about institutional safety. Then wait, wait for the most dangerous to act out, and for CDOC to say - "I told you so."

Colorado's solitary confinement prisons are seen by most states and Human Rights Watch as inhumane, yet for the CDOC they are a never ending cash cow. The new 948 bed Colorado State Penitentiary (CSP II) also known as CCF, cost over $170 million to build. Many argued at the time that the facility was not needed and too expensive? but CDOC lobbied the legislature tirelessly citing a growing prison population, institutional safety, and job creation. According to the CDC's 2010-11 budget request, CSP II costs over $38 million annually just to pay for the 581 FTEs required to run the half-empty facility.

The state currently houses 1,500 prisoners in the two solitary confinement prisons, about seven times the national average.

Critics say the segregation population should be around 150-200 to match the national standard. If Colorado reduced its population to that of other states one of Colorado's two segregation prisons could be closed.

Unfortunately, powerful bureaucratic Juggernauts like CDOC don't downsize without a fight and they don't fight fair. Clements has already asked the legislature to add $15 million to the prison budget because his office ''underestimated'' the protected population by 500 inmates. Are we looking at a new wave of prison expansion planned by CDOC after they botch reintegration with the most violent inmates - inmates isolated by the state for years. Right now it is anyone's guess, but I wouldn't sell my Colorado Correctional Industry stock just yet.