The recommendations were based on interviews with CDOC employees and community shareholders, existing program reviews, and statistical analysis from 2009 - 2010.
In November 2011 CDOC Executive Director Tom Clements released his response to the findings and recommendations made by Vera.
What follows is the Vera recommendations and CDOC's responses to each. The (*) indicates an actual accountable deliverable that CDOC is responsible for producing.
1. Develop specific department goals and performance measures, and make them publicly available.
CDOC Response: Recommendations were considered and addressed in the FY2011-12 strategic plan and published on the CDOC website (www.doc.state.co.us).
2. Tailor CDOC's internal data tracking and reporting system to performance measures and goals.
* CDOC Response: A dashboard system of tracking is published monthly on the CDOC website. Performance measures tracked on the dashboard is an ongoing process.
3. Implement a regular meeting and review data related to performance measures and goals.
CDOC Response: CDOC holds monthly executive management meetings and reviews division level reports.
4. Compare data over time to identify trends and patterns, and formalize a system for following up on goals that are not met.
CDOC Response: The strategic planning process and dashboard system will address this issue.
5. Incorporate changes to the staff survey.
CDOC Response: Annual staff surveys will be incorporated in the strategic planning process.
6. Introduce "quality of confinement" survey for inmates to give another layer of feedback on prison operations.
CDOC Response: CDOC is developing a survey and intends have it complete by Spring 2012.
7. Consider convening a community stakeholder meeting regularly.
* CDOC Response: Starting in January 2012 CDOC will conduct stakeholder meetings three times a year.
8. Revise the inmate handbook to include information on contacting external advocacy organizations.
* CDOC Response: This information will be in the December inmate handbook and will be available in facility libraries.
9. Revise the CDOC mission statement to reflect the commitment to collaboration with external shareholders.
CDOC Response: As part of the strategic planning process the CDOC reflects a commitment to customer service and mission - focused collaboration.
10. Consider allowing an independent, external party to participate in Step 3 level review of inmate grievances.
CDOC Response: The CDOC has taken steps to enhance its grievance system and will evaluate the enhanced system to determine if further changes are needed.
11. Consider implementing a formal review process of inmate complaints received by third-party entities.
* CDOC Response: The CDOC has established a constituent service coordinator responsible for promptly following up on complaints received by third-party entities.
12. Develop a regular updated dashboard of limited data points to be made publicly available on the CDOC website.
* CDOC Response: The CDOC has developed a series of dashboard measures and began placing them on the CDOC website in June 2011.
Policy analysis of the CDOC responses to the Vera recommendations
Nine out of 12 of the CDC's responses to Vera's recommendations are bureaucratic double talk buried in grand promises made in the nonbinding strategic planning process.
However, in five areas denoted by asterisks, CDOC has promised actual deliverables that can be tracked and used by shareholders to hold CDOC accountable for reform.
The Way Ahead
Advocacy groups like AFC, or any group trying to impact the treatment and fate of those held under Colorado's Lifetime Supervision Act, should target and pay particular attention to Vera Recommendations 2, 7, and 12.
Recommendations 2 and 12 focus on establishing data points and performance measures on a publicly accessible website. The CDOC has agreed to do this on its dashboard at www.doc.state.co.us.
If advocacy groups get their issues represented on the dashboard then they will ensure accountability through public disclosure and executive level attention.
Recommendation 7 ties CDOC to conducting three community stakeholder meetings a year. These meetings will allow advocacy groups to hold CDOC accountable for the performance measures featured on their dashboard and allow for timely data tracking of advocacy issues to make sure CDOC is meeting their obligations.
The key is to get your issue put on the dashboard and tracked, otherwise...out of sight, out of mind. Below are some possible suggestions for indeterminate advocacy groups to focus on, to get the ball rolling, the conversation started.
1. Track the total number of indeterminable incarcerated.
2. Track the number of indeterminable paroled YTD.
3. Track the number of indeterminable finished with Phase and Phase II treatment YTD.
4. Track the number of indeterminable awaiting Phase and/or Phase II treatment.
5. Track the number of indeterminable incarcerated past their bottom number.
6. Track the number of Phase II graduates denied parole YTD.
Brainstorm other data to track that is significant to the issues and policies that need reforming and then push CDOC relentlessly to get them tracked on the dashboard.
Good Luck!
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