Solitary Confinement Ends In Colorado Prisons

ACROSS COLORADO - From the Colorado Department of Corrections: The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) has eliminated the use of Extended Restrictive Housing in its facilities. Offenders, even at the highest security level, are now offered a minimum of four hours per day out of their assigned cells. This time consists of passive recreation, outdoor recreation and cognitive rehabilitative and educational classes in a group setting. The elimination of Extended Restrictive Housing engages offenders in opportunities to make positive behavioral changes and promotes offender success.

In 2011 when segregation reforms began, over 1,500 offenders or 7 percent of the prison population in CDOC was assigned to Administrative Segregation. Over the past four years with implementation of segregation reforms the department was able to reduce this number to less than 200 offenders in Extended Restrictive Housing and was seen as a leader in corrections. Today Administrative Segregation and Extended Restrictive Housing no longer exist in the Colorado Department of Corrections. The only offenders in a short term restrictive housing environment are offenders serving disciplinary segregation for behavior infractions. These offenders cannot be sanctioned to more than 15 days in this environment.

“I am very proud of this department and staff. This cumulates several years of reforms and hard work to eliminate the use of restricted housing. These changes help us fulfill the department’s mission of long term public safety” said Rick Raemisch Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

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