Homeless n e s s a n d Pa Ro

8/14/2019 Homeless n e s s a n d Pa Ro

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Homelessness and ParoleA S U R V E Y O F D E N V E R S S H E L T E R S

C a r o l P e e p l e s R e - e n t r y C o o r d i n a t o r A u g u s t 2 0 0 9

1212 Mariposa St. Suite 6 Denver, CO 80204 303-825-0122 fax 303-825-0304 ccjrc.org


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About this Report .........................................................................................................2

Methodology

Acknowledgements

ExecutiveSummary ...................................................................................................... 3

Demographicinformationaboutparoleesinterviewed

Findingsfrominterviewswithparolees

Findingsfrompoint-in-timecount

Findingsfrominterviewswithshelterproviders

Recommendations

InterviewswithHomelessParolees.............................................................................6

Demographicinformation

Lengthofincarcerationandtimesincerelease Lengthoftimehomeless

Paroleofce,statusofrelease,andcountyofconviction

Preparationforre-entry

Parolinghomeless

Transitionalhousingopportunities

Assistance

Helpfulnessofparoleofcers

Employment Parole-relatedexpenses

Homelessandonparole:intheirownwords

Biggestchallengebeinghomelessandonparole

Point-in-TimeCount ................................................................................................... 14

InterviewswithShelterStaff........................................................................................15

Changeinacceptingparolees

Mosthaveexperiencedincreaseinparolees

Needsofparolees/impactuponshelters Abilityofshelterstomeetparoleesneeds

Relationshipbetweensheltersandparoleofcers/re-entrypersonnel

Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 18

Inconclusion .............................................................................................................. 25

Additional copies o this report are available at ccjrc.org.

Table of Contents 1


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2

Abo u t t h i s R epo r t

Inthespringof2007,ThePitonFoundation

releasedareportindicatingaquarterofthepeople

onparoleintheDenvermetroarearesidedeither

inhomelesssheltersorothertemporaryhousing.

ThePitonreportwasbasedonananalysisofdataobtainedfromtheDepartmentofCorrections

aswellasadditionalresearchconductedbyThe

PitonFoundation.1Inaddition,anumberofshelter

providersinDenverrecentlyindicatedaperceived

increaseinthenumberofhomelessparoleesin

Denversemergencyshelters.

TheDepartmentofCorrectionshasnot

historicallytrackedthespecicnumberof

paroleeswhohavebeenreleasedhomeless,so

itisnotpossibletodeterminewhetherthere

hasbeenanincreaseinhomelessnessamong

paroleesovertime.However,wehavebeen

advisedtheDepartmentsDivisionofAdult

Parole,CommunityCorrections,andYOSrecently

begankeepingstatisticsonthenumberof

homelessparoleeseachparoleofcesupervises.2

Becauseofthegapininformationabouthomeless

parolees,CCJRCdecidedtoconductthissurvey

inordertobetterunderstandthedriversof

homelessnessamongparoleesandtheexperiences

ofbothhomelessparoleesandshelterproviders.Whileisitpossibleforsomepeopletoleaveprison

homelesswhoarenotonparole,thissurvey

focusesonlyonhomelessparolees.3

M eth od ol og y

Itwasnotpossibletoincludeeverylocationwhere

homelessparoleesaretemporarilyplaced,such

asprivateboardinghousesandmotels,inthis

survey.Thus,CCJRCconnedthescopeofthis

reporttotheeightmajoremergencyovernight

sheltersinDenver.FromDecember2008through

February2009,CCJRCinterviewed48homeless

paroleesinsevenoftheseeightshelters.Interviews

wereconductedinthesheltersatnightafter

dinner,andparticipationwasvoluntary.The

60-questioninterviewtookfromonehalftoonehourperpersontoconduct.4 Inmostshelters,

staffpublicizedthesurveyusingayersuppliedby

CCJRC.ParticipantsreceivedacopyofGetting On

Ater Getting Out: A Re-entry Guide or Colorado,5as

wellasa$10giftcardtoKingSoopers.

Incollaborationwithshelterstaff,CCJRCalsocon-

ductedapoint-in-timecounttheeveningofFebru-

ary25,2009,attheeightsheltersincludedinthis

survey.Thecountincludedboththetotalnumber

ofpeopleinthesheltersandthenumberofpeople

knowntobeonparole.Thesheltersincludedinthiscountaretheeightmajoremergencyshelters

inDenver.Threeacceptonlywomenandtherest

acceptmen,althoughwomenmaybeacceptedin

programs/housingotherthanthesheltersemer-

gencyhousing.Theeightparticipatingshelters

areBrandonCenter,Crossroads,DeloresProject,

DenverRescueMission,newgenesis,Samaritan

House,Step13,andTheodoraHouse.

ThethirdpartofCCJRCshomelessparoleesurvey

involvedpersonalinterviewswithprogramdirec-

tors,coordinators,andprojectmanagerswhoworkedintheshelters.Theseinterviewswere

conductedpersonallyorbyemail,andinsome

casesmorethanonestaffmemberfromashelter

wasinterviewed.

Theinterviewswithparoleesandshelterem-

ployees,aswellasthepoint-in-timecount,were

conductedbyCarolPeeples,re-entrycoordinator

forCCJRC.

1 CCJRC sta assisted with The Piton Foundations study. The ull report is in the spring 2007 issue oThePitonPerspectiveandavailable online at http://www.piton.org/Documents/ThePITONperspctive Spring07_5-24.pd.

2 This data is not released on an ocial basis by the Departments Oce o Planning and Analysis, but it is available upon requestrom the Departments Division o Adult Parole.

3 People who leave prison without parole supervision may have been incarcerated or a crime committed beore July 1, 1993, and arethereore eligible to discharge rom prison without mandatory parole, or they may have been revoked while on parole and returnedto prison where they nished their mandatory parole sentence while incarcerated. People who discharge rom prison are not eligible

or services rom parole oces or transition specialists.

4 The survey instrument is available upon request rom CCJRC.

5GettingOnAfterGettingOutis a re-entry guide written and distributed by CCJRC. From late 2007 through 2009, CCJRC providedalmost 25,000 copies or ree to people in prison and on parole. Due to generous support rom the Daniels Fund, CCJRC was alsoable to provide an additional 1,000 copies to homeless shelters or distribution to their clients on parole.


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Ackn ow l ed g emen ts

CCJRCwouldrstliketothankthepeopleonpa-

rolewhosharedtheircircumstanceswithus.We

aregratefulfortheirtimeandwillingnesstotalk

abouttheirpersonalsituation.

WewouldalsoliketothankthestaffofDenvershomelesssheltersfortheirinterestandparticipa-

tionwiththissurvey.Wethankthemforsharing

theirexperiencesandforopeningtheirshelters

doorstous.

CCJRCwouldliketoacknowledgethemany

organizationsandstateagencies,includingthe

DepartmentofCorrections,thatareworkingtoad-

dresstheproblemsaroundhomelessnessandre-entryintosociety.Wehopethisreportisofservice.

3

Executive Summary

Theinterviewsconductedforthissurveyofferinsight

into48individualswhowerehomelessandonparole

inDenver,Colorado,duringthewinterof2008-2009.

Theirstoriesandsituationsexemplifythecomplex-

ityoftheissue,butthisisnottosaythatcommon

threadsdidnotsurface.Indeed,itisthesecom-monalitiesthatformthebasisforeachoftheeleven

recommendationspresentedinthisreport.

Theaverageannualcostofincarceratinganin-

mateisover$30,000perinmate,6sochangesin

policiesandpracticesthatreducerecidivismcan

providethestatewithanimmediateopportunity

forsignicantcostsavings.Inscalyear2008,

41%ofthetotaladmissionstoColoradosprisons

werepeoplewhohadbeenrevokedfromparole

andreturnedtoprison.Ofthisgroup,27%re-turnedtoprisonforcommittinganewcrimewhile

onparole,but73%(3,353people)werereturnedto

prisonforatechnicalviolationoftheirparole. 7

Itisnotknownwhetherpeoplewholeaveprison

homelesshaveahigherfailurerateonparole,

butitisknownthatpeoplefaceenormouschal-

lenges,includingndinghousing,whentheyare

released.8Basedonourownresearchandinter-

viewswithparolees,CCJRCbelievesthatparoling

ordischargingfromprisonhomelessisabarrier

tosuccessfulre-entryandshouldbeavoidedtothegreatestextentpossible.

Demog ra p h i c i n f orma ti on a b ou t

p a rol ees i n tervi ew ed

Ofthe48peopleinterviewed,42weremenand6

werewomen.Theiraverageagewas42and84%

weresingle.Themajorityofpeoplewerewhite

(42%)orAfricanAmerican(38%).Overone-third

(37%)werelastincarceratedforoneyearorlessand79%werelastincarceratedthreeyearsor

less.HalfwereconvictedinDenverCounty,and

theotherhalfwereconvictedinvenearby

counties.Overtwo-thirds(72%)werenotre-

leasedfromprisonuntiltheyreachedtheir

mandatoryreleasedate.

Findings from interviews with parolees

61%couldnotordidnottakeare-entryorlife

skillsclasspriortoleavingprison,withthe

mostprevalentreasonbeingthataclasswasnotoffered.

Ofthosewhotookare-entryorlifeskillsclass

priortoreleasefromprison,77%foundthe

classhelpfulorveryhelpful.

8%reportedtheirInterstateCompacttransferap-

plicationwasnotsubmittedbytheirDepartment

ofCorrectionscasemanageronatimelybasis.

59%reportedtheirDepartmentofCorrections

casemanagerwasnotveryhelpfulornot

helpfulwiththeirdevelopmentofaparoleplan.

31%werereleasedhomelessbecausetheyhadno

onetoparoletoin-orout-of-state,buttherewere

eightotherreasonswhypeopleparoledhome-

less,underscoringthecomplexityoftheissue.

6 ColoradoDepartmentofCorrections.StatisticalReport:FiscalYear2008 . Released June 2009. Page 9.Available online at https://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/combo2.0.0/userles/older_18/StatRpt08nal.pd.

7 Ibid. Page 12.

8 ColoradoCommissiononCriminalandJuvenileJustice2008AnnualReport. December 2008. Page 44.Available online at http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/cccjj/2008recommendations.html.


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4

58%hadbeenhomelessatleastonetimebe-

fore,and42%werehomelessforthersttime.

90%hadbeenoutofprisonforsixmonthsor

less,withabouthalfofthisgroupoutamonth

orless.

38%hadbeenhomelessforonemonthorless,and30%hadbeenhomelessfromtwotothree

months.

72%viewedtheirparoleofcerassomewhat

helpfulorveryhelpful.

71%werecurrentlyunemployed,and58%had

notbeenemployedatallsincetheirrelease.

Besidesndingajobandhousingandmeeting

nancialneedsandparolerequirements,home-

lessparoleesdescribedotherneeds,including

psychologicalneeds:accessingmentalhealthtreatmentstrugglingwithahistoryofsubstanceabusefeelingsetuptofailorfearoffailurefeelingdepressed,humiliated,stressed,and/oroverwhelmed

Findings from point-in-time count

OnFebruary25,2009,therewere211peopleon

paroleintheeightmajoremergencysheltersin

Denver,whichwas14%ofthetotalnumberofpeopleinthoseeightsheltersthatnight.

83%oftheparoleeswereinoneshelterthe

nightofthepoint-in-timecount.Thisshelter

istheSalvationArmysCrossroadsOvernight

ShelterforMen,commonlyreferredtoas

Crossroads,locatedat190129thStreet.

Theconcentrationofhomelessparoleesinone

shelterappearstobeapolicydecisionbythe

DepartmentofCorrectionsaswellasaconse-

quenceofDenvercityordinance565,adopted

bytheDenverCityCouncilin2001.

Findings from interviews withshelter providers

Alloftheshelterscontactedforthisreport

welcomedtheopportunitytoparticipateinthe

interviews.

Halfofthesheltersanticipatemakingnochange

inthenumberofparoleestheywillaccept.

Halfofthesheltersareinterestedinhousing

additionalparolees.

Noneofthesheltersplanondecreasingthe

numberofparoleestheyaccept,butalmostallsaidtheywouldlimitthenumberofparoleesto

acertainproportionofpeopleintheirshelter.

Severalsheltersfeelunder-utilizedbythe

DepartmentofCorrections.

Noteveryshelteroffersthesamerangeofser-vicesforparoleesneeds.Somesheltersoffer

anemploymentresourcecenter,experienced

casemanagement,medicalservices,lifeskills

andeducationprograms,etc.,whileothersof-

ferfewerornoservices.

9

AlmosthalfofthesheltersreportagoodrelationshipwithDepartmentofCorrections

personnel,butanumberofshelterswouldlike

toimprovetherelationship.Goodcommunica-

tionwasidentiedaskeytotherelationship.

9 CCJRC was told that Denver city ordinance 565, discussed at length in recommendation #5 at the endo this report, is a cause or this disparity.


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5

Recommen d a ti on s

Theissueofhomelessnessamongparoleesis

complex,forthereisnosimpleorsingularreason

whypeopleleaveprisonhomeless.Whilethisre-

portultimatelyfoundnosilverbullettoaddress

thiscomplexissue,thendingssuggestareaswherechangesinpoliciesandpracticesmayhelp

reducethisnumberand/orshortenthelengthof

timeparoleesarehomeless.

CCJRCofferselevenrecommendationsbelow;

eachoftheseisfurtherdiscussedintheRecom-

mendationssectionattheendofthisreport.

CCJRCisawarethestatepresentlyfacesasigni-

cantbudgetshortfall.Withthatinmind,manyof

ourrecommendationsfocusonstrategiesthat

arecostneutralandinvolveachangeinexisting

practiceand/orpolicy.

1.CCJRCrecommendstheDepartment

ofCorrectionsidentifypeopleatriskof

beingreleasedhomelesspriortotheir

release,preferablyasearlyaspossible.This

recommendationincludesveseparate

suggestionsforactionstheDepartmentmight

taketopreventhomelessnessoncesomeoneis

identiedasbeinglikelytoreleasehomeless.

2.CCJRCrecommendstheDepartmentofCor-

rectionsensurethatcommunitycorrectionsboardsareawarewhenanapplicantishome-

less,andthatcommunitycorrectionsboards

givespecialconsiderationwhenitisknownthe

applicantwillbehomelessuponrelease.

3.CCJRCrecommendstheDepartmentofCorrec-

tionsofciallytrackandreportthenumberof

peoplereleasedhomeless,theirparolerevoca-

tionrate,andthelingofescapechargeson

thispopulation.

4.CCJRCrecommendstheDepartmentofCor-rectionsdiscontinuethecurrentpracticeof

concentratinghomelessparoleesinone

shelterandexplorepartnershipswithother

sheltersinDenver.

5.CCJRCrecommendstheDenverCityCouncilex-

ploretheconsequencesofordinance565,series

of2001,andconsiderrevisingtheordinance.

6.CCJRCrecommendstheDepartmentofCorrec-

tionsarticulateinawrittenpolicythecriteria

consideredbyparoleofcersandsupervisors

fordenialoracceptanceofaparoleplanand

anyreconsiderationthatmaybeappropriateif

thedenialofaparoleplanresultsinthehome-

lessreleaseofaparolee.

7.CCJRCrecommendsareacountyjailsexplore

thefeasibilityofdevelopinganalternativestep-

downtransitionalprogramforhomelessparol-

ees,suchastheDenverHomelessTransition

Program,acollaborativepilotprojectbetween

theDenverCountyJail,theDepartmentofCor-

rections,andtheDivisionofCriminalJustice.

8.CCJRCrecommendsthatmetroareacounties

identifyandaddressthegapsincommunity-

basedservicesandhousingforhomelesspeopleleavingprisonorjailandreturningto

theircounties.

9.CCJRCrecommendsDenversRoadHome

conductasurveyoftheadmissionpoliciesof

housingprovidersthatreceivestate,federal,or

localgovernmentfundinginDenver,including

publichousingauthorities,nonprotlong-

termhousingproviders,andprivatelandlords

involvedwithSection8housing.CCJRCrecom-

mendsthisreportbemadeavailabletothe

public.

10.CCJRCrecommendstheCityandCountyof

Denverconductareviewofmunicipalordi-

nancesanddepartmentalhiringpoliciesand

practices,bothformalandinformal,regard-

ingtheemploymentofpeoplewithacriminal

conviction.

11.CCJRCrecommendsthestateearmarkad-

ditionalfundstoprovidevouchersorother

formsofnancialassistancetoindigentpa-

roleesforre-entryrelatedexpenses,includingclassesandtreatmentorderedasacondition

ofparole.Thistypeofassistanceisparticularly

importantduringtherstfewmonthsfollow-

ingrelease.


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6

Interviews with Homeless ParoleesCCJRCinterviewed48peopleonparolefromDecemberof2008through

Februaryof2009insevenoftheeightDenvershelterslistedbelow.

shelter # of parolees interviewed

BrandonCenter...................................................... 1Crossroads* ......................................................... 26

DeloresProject .......................................................3

DenverRescueMission..........................................3

newgenesis ............................................................ 4

SamaritanHouse................................................... 8

Step13 .....................................................................3

TheodoraHouse**................................................ 0

total count .......................................................... 48*The number o parolees interviewed at the Crossroads shelter is disproportionate to the numbero people interviewed at the other shelters because o the concentration o parolees at this shelter.

**Theodora House, a shelter or women, was included in this report but it was not possible tointerview a parolee the night inteviews were scheduled.

Demog ra p h i c i n f orma ti on

Ofthe48peopleinterviewed,42weremenand6

werewomen.Theyoungestperson

interviewedwas22yearsandtheoldestwas61,

withanaverageageof42years.

42%wereintheirforties

27%wereintheirthirties

21%wereintheirfties

8%wereintheirtwenties

2%wereintheirsixties

Intervieweesself-reportedtheirethnicity/raceas:

White 42%

Black/AfricanAmerican38%

NativeAmerican/AlaskanNative10%

Hispanic4%

Biracial4%

Asian/PacicIslander2%

Thegreatmajority(84%)weresingle

(includesdivorced,separated,andwidowed),

8%weremarried,and8%wereunmarried

butinarelationship.

Len g th of i n ca rcera ti on a n d ti me

s i n ce rel ea s e

Almost80%reportedtheirmostrecentperiodof

incarcerationwasthreeyearsorless.Intotal,

37%wereincarceratedforoneyearorless.

23%wereincarceratedfromonetotwoyears.

19%wereincarceratedfromtwotothreeyears.

13%wereincarceratedfromthreetoveyears.

8%wereincarceratedoverveyears.

Thegreatmajorityofparolees(90%)hadbeen

outofprisonforlessthansixmonths.Thebreak-

downfortheamountoftimesincereleasefrom

incarcerationisasfollows:

onemonthorless44%

twotosixmonths46%

seventotwelvemonths8%

morethanoneyear2%


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7

Len g th of ti me h omel es s

While90%oftheparoleessaidtheyhadbeenout

ofprisonforlessthansixmonths,81%saidthey

hadbeenhomelessforsixmonthsorless.The

discrepancybetweenthesetwonumbersmaybe

becausesomepeoplewerereleasedtoasponsorandthenlaterbecamehomeless.

Thebreakdownforthetimereportedhomeless

isasfollows:

onemonthorless38%

twotothreemonths30%

fourtosixmonths13%

seventotwelvemonths4%

morethanoneyear15%10

Pa rol e of f i ce, s ta tu s of rel ea s e, a n d

cou n ty of con vi cti on

Releasedfrom19differentpublicandprivatepris-

ons,the48paroleesreporttofourparoleofces:

CentralMetroLincoln63%

Sherman19%

Westminster14%

SouthMetroEnglewood4%

Themajoritywerenotreleasedondiscretionary

parolebytheColoradoBoardofParole.

72%oftheparoleeswerereleasedwhen

theyreachedtheirmandatoryreleasedate.

19%werere-releasedafterbeingincarcer-

atedforaparoleviolation.

9%werereleasedbytheparoleboardon

discretionaryparole.

HalfofthepeoplewereconvictedinDenver

County.Theother50%wereconvictedinve

otherareacounties.Thebreakdownbycounty

ofconvictionisasfollows:

Denver50%11

Jefferson16%12

Adams15%

Arapahoe13%

Douglas4%

ElPaso2%

10 This gure may dier rom the 2% who reported they had been out o prison or over a year because several people who cycled inand out o prison and homelessness included prior periods o homelessness in their response to the question about how long theyhad been homeless.

11 Three o the people in this group were convicted in Denver County and another county (Arapahoe, Douglas, Routt). They werecounted as convicted in Denver County.

12 Two o the people in this group were convicted in Jeerson County and another county (Arapahoe, Adams). They were counted asconvicted in Jeerson County.


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8

Prep a ra ti on f or re- en try

Amajority(61%)ofthehomelessparoleesdid

nottakeare-entryorlifeskillsclasswhilein

prisonforthefollowingreasons:

classwasnotofferedattheprison81%

notinterested10%

putonawaitlist9%

Ofthosewhotookare-entryorlifeskillsclass

priortoreleasefromprison,44%saidtheclass

wasveryhelpfuland33%saidtheclasswas

helpful.

AsperDepartmentofCorrectionsregulation,

casemanagersaretaskedwithassistinginmates

withpre-paroleandparoleplanning.13 Some

paroleesreportedcasemanagerswhotriedto

makecallsontheirbehalf,answeredquestions,gotIDs,toldpeopleaboutresources,helpedwith

oldwarrantpaperwork,etc.

However,amajority(59%)saidtheircaseman-

agerwasnotveryhelpful(10%)ornothelpful

(49%)withthedevelopmentoftheirparoleplan.

Someparoleessaidtheircasemanagerlacked

theinformationorconnectionsnecessarytohelp

withthisplanning,whileotherssaidtheircase

managerdidnotseereleaseplanningaspartof

theirjob.Pa rol i n g h omel es s

Inthefollowingsection,wereportonques-

tionsthatattemptedtoascertainthereasons

forpeopletoparolehomeless.Wasitbychoice?

Wastherenoonetoparoleto?Wasthepossible

parolesponsorrejectedbytheDepartmentof

Corrections?WasanInterstateCompacttransfer

apossibility?14Ifso,whyisthispersonlivingin

oneofDenversshelters?Althoughamajorityofparolees(58%)hadbeen

homelessatleastonetimepreviously,asigni-

cantpercent(42%)reportedneverhavingbeen

homelessbeforethecurrenttime.Themost

prominentreasonwasnothavingaparolespon-

sor,buttherewereanumberofotherreasons

whypeoplewerereleasedandlivinginshelters.

Theirreasonsbreakdownasfollows:

31%hadnoonewhocouldbetheirparole

sponsor,eitherin-orout-of-state. 17%saidtheirrstparoleplandidnot

workoutandtheysubsequentlybecame

homeless.15

10%citedreasonssuggestingcommunica-

tionwithcasemanagementbrokedown

andthereleaseplandefaultedtoa

homelessplan.16

10%hadtheirparoleplandeniedbythe

DepartmentofCorrections.17

10%wantedtoparoletoanotherstateviatheInterstateCompact.18

6%didnotwanttoburdentheirfamily/take

ahandoutfromfamily.

13 Colorado Department o Corrections. Administrative Regulation 550-08. Eective date October 15, 2008. Available online athttps://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/comboweb/weblets/index.php/regulations/home.

14 The Interstate Compact or Adult Oender Supervision is an agreement signed by almost all o the states. It allows the transer opeople under criminal justice supervision to another state i both states agree to the transer.

15 Three people were released to a sponsor but returned to the shelter ater conficts with the sponsor or the sponsor became worriedabout the parolee. Two people were directly released to transitional housing with a private landlord, but both struggled with

substance abuse and ultimately needed a more structured environment. One person was paroled to his parents who lived in elderlyhousing with a 30-day limit on guests. One person was removed rom the FOREST program. One person said his parole ocersaid he had not had time to check out the house he owned.

16 One person said his case manager called his potential sponsor two times, and since the case manager could not reach his amilyhe decided to parole homeless. One person said he could not get his parole sponsor lined up in time. One person said nothingwas done to get him back into Mental Health Center o Denver housing. One person did not know how to do a release plan. Oneperson said his case manager would not submit his riend as a potential sponsor due to a 20-year-old prior drug conviction.

17 One person whose plan was denied had an employer rom his previous job who vouched or his job and agreed to arrange anapartment or him, as well as a parole ocer in his county who would oversee him on his caseload. One person said his paroleocer told him his mothers house was not an option. One person said no reason or the denial was given and his mother said theparole oce never contacted her. Two people had their plan denied due to the potential sponsors criminal record.

18 Four people said their Interstate Compact application had not been submitted by their Department o Corrections case manageron a timely basis. O these our, two were then told by their parole ocer to remain homeless or a period o time beore the paroleocer would submit the paperwork. One person was declined by the receiving state.


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6%couldnotparoletoapotentialsponsor

becauseofasexoffenseconviction.

6%wantedtoparolehomelesstoDenver

becausethecityhasresources.

2%thoughtfamilywouldbeanegative

inuence.

Ofthe58%whohadbeenhomelessatleastone

othertime,theirreasonsforbeinghomelessthe

previoustimeinclude,byorderofoccurrence:

drugs/substanceabuse

nosponsor/familyproblems/

familyrejection

releasedfromincarceration

choice(fun,freedom,startingover,being

alone) couldnotndaplacetolive(lackof

money,natureofoffense)

T ra n s i ti on a l h ou s i n g op p ortu n i ti es

Whenaskedwhethertheytriedtogetintoa

community-basedtransitionalhousingfacility

suchasCharitysHouseMinistries,Champa

House,MatthewsCenterforExcellence,etc.,

insteadofparolinghomeless,75%saidtheydid

not.Thereasonswhytheydidnotinclude:

55%didnotknowaboutthefacilities.

17%didnotwanttoliveinoneofthese

facilities.

14%didnothavethemoney.

14%citedmiscellaneousreasons.19

Ofthe25%whoknewabouttransitionalhousing

opportunities,accessingtheprogramswasprob-

lematicforreasonsthatincludedlackingthefunds

topayornotbeingadmittedduetothenatureof

theircharge(convictionforaviolentorsexoffense).

As s i s ta n ce

Over78%receivedsometypeofhelp(otherthan

housing)sincetheirrelease,usuallyfromthe

re-entryspecialistswiththeJohnC.InmannWork

andFamilyCenter.20TheWorkandFamilyCenter

isaDepartmentofCorrectionsre-entryefforttoconnectpeopleonparolewithemploymentand

communityresourcesandservices.Thetypesof

assistanceparoleessaidtheyreceivedincludeda

backpackwithhygieneitems,wintercoat,cloth-

ingvoucher,and/orbustokens.21

Overhalf(56%)reportedthattheJohnC.Inmann

WorkandFamilyCenterortheirparoleofcerpro-

videdtheirshelterwithamonetaryvoucher.Inter-

vieweesreportedtheyreceivedvouchersfortwo,

three,orfourweeks,andseveralpeoplereported

receivingvouchersforalongerperiodoftime.

H el p f u l n es s of p a rol e of f i cers

Thegreatmajorityoftheparolees(72%)said

theirparoleofcerwaseithersomewhathelpful

(30%)orveryhelpful(42%).Whenaskedto

explainhowtheirparoleofcerwashelpful,their

commentsfellintoseveralcategories:

referredparoleetotheJohnC.InmannWorkandFamilyCenter

seemedfair

seenasunderstandingtheparoleesstrugglewithsubstanceabuse

helpedwithresources

gaveparoleethebenetofthedoubt

explainedeverything

offeredjobreferralsandbustokens

Paroleeswhorankedtheirparoleofceras

notveryhelpfulornothelpfulsaidthe

paroleofcer:

hadnothelpedwithresourcesorinformationaboutresources

wasnotunderstanding

wasthreatening

9

19 For example, one person in this group said his parole ocer would not let him transer to Charitys House or Samaritan Houseand would not let him move out o his current shelter until he had a job. Another person in this category said his case manager inprison erroneously told him the Matthews Center would not accept people with a elony conviction.

20 The main oce or re-entry specialists is at 877 N. Federal Boulevard in Denver. Additional oce locations are in Pueblo, ColoradoSprings, Grand Junction, Westminster, and Greeley.

21 Not everyone received all o these resources, but several reported receiving a combination. The resource that most people said theyneeded more was bus tokens. Several larger men also described having diculty nding clothing that would t.


11/26

Emp l oy men t

Themajorityofhomelessparolees(71%)werecur-rentlyunemployed.Overhalf(58%)hadnotbeenemployedatallsincetheirreleasefromprison.

Mostofthe29%whowereemployedsaidthey

foundtheirjobsthroughtemporaryemploymentagenciesordaylabor.Mostoftheirwageswereunder$8anhour.22Noneofthepeopleemployedbyatemporaryagencyordaylaborhadbenets.Severalotherparoleeswereemployedoffthebooksdoingoddjobsforfriends,andtwoworkedforaformeremployerforhourlywagesof$14and$20,respectively,plusbenets.Onlythreepeopleinthisgrouphadfoundfull-timeemployment.

Ofthosewhoreceivedwages,theirearningsaver-aged$440amonth.23Threepeoplereceivedpublicassistance.24

Pa rol e- rel a ted exp en s es

Theparoleofcepaysforrequiredurinalysis/breath

analyses(UA/BA)forpeopleonISP-parole(inten-

sivesupervisedprogram). 25Abouttwo-thirdsofthe

peopleinterviewedindicatedtheywereonISP-

parole.Oftheparoleeswhodidnotindicatethey

wereonISP,halfsaidtheyhadtopayforaurinalysis

orbreathanalysisonetofourtimesamonthfora

reportedfeerangingfrom$12to$18each. 26

Everypersononparoleisrequiredtopaya

monthly$10feetosupporttheDepartmentsintegratedparoledatabaseandcommunication

systemknownasC-WISE(ColoradoWeb-based

IntegratedSupportEnvironment).Paroleofcers

apparentlyhavesomediscretionwiththeC-WISE

feesince12%oftheparoleessaidtheirfeehad

beenwaiveduntilafuturedate.Another12%said

theywerebehindintheirC-WISEpayments,one

personbyasmuchas$100.

Paroleesareoftenrequiredtotakeclassesand/or

beintreatmentasaconditionofparole.Thesere-

quiredclassesmayalsobeanexpense.Inlimitedcircumstances,thisexpensemaybecoveredbya

paroleofceorbyaTASCofce.27Forexample,if

aparoleeisaTASCclientandhasbeenorderedto

attenddrugandalcoholclasses,TASCusuallypays

fortheserequiredclassesiftheindividualishome-

lessand/orunemployed,atleastforsomeperiod

oftime.Fundingpermitted,paroleofcesmaypay

forsomementalhealthclasses.However,notall

requiredclassesaresubsidized.Forexample,one

personsaidhisparoleofcerisprovidingavouch-

erforthreeoutofeveryfourorvetherapyclasses.Onepersonsaidhehadtopay$45fourtimesa

monthforrequiredmentalhealthclasses.Athird

personsaidhisparoleofcerwouldpayforhisrst

verequiredsexoffensedenialclasses

Payingrestitutionisanotherparole-relatedex-

penseformostpeopleconvictedofacrime.

Oftheparoleesinterviewed:

52%werenotyetpayingtowardtheirres-

titutiondebt(usuallybecausetheirparole

ofcerwasexiblewiththestartdateofmakingrestitutionpaymentsandworking

withtheiremploymentsituation).

29%hadrestitutionpaymentsthatranged

fromunder$20to$388amonth.28

19%saidtheydidnotowerestitution.

10

22 One woman said her employer paid her $2.34 or each room she cleaned in a motel,so she had to clean three rooms in an hour to earn a minimum wage salary.

23 While this amount seems very low, it is actually skewed high by two people who earned $1400 and $1200 a month.Excluding these two people, the average income was less than $300 a month.

24 Two people received a monthly income o $207 and $230 rom Aid to Needy and Disabled (AND),which is short-term nancial assistance or people waiting or approval o their SupplementalSecurity Income (SSI) application. One received $730 monthly income rom SSI.

25 ISP-parole is an additional condition o parole set by a parole board member. It is ordered or people deemed to be at a higher riskand in need o closer supervision. Part o this supervision usually includes electronic monitoring (e.g., ankle monitor).

26 Since several o the people in this group also report making no income during the previous month, their source o income to payor this cost is unclear. It is also possible the interview did not uncover their ISP status since the questionnaire did not ask thisparticular question. ISP status was volunteered by interviewees when asked about parole-related expenses.

27 Treatment Accountability or Saer Communities (TASC) has a contract with the DOC to help people on parole with a history osubstance abuse with services and case management.

28 The payment details o this group are uncertain. For example, one person reported making $100 during the previous month andowing $330 a month in restitution (which he had not paid). Another reported receiving $730 a month on disability but beingtold he need to pay $388 a month in restitution. Two people said their parole ocer determined the amount o their restitutionpayment ($240 and $299 respectively) by dividing the amount o restitution they owed by the amount o time let on parole.


12/26

11

H omel es s a n d on p a rol e:

i n th ei r ow n w ord s

Peoplewereaskedaboutthegeneralexperience

ofbeinghomelessandonparole.Thesecom-

mentsfellintoanumberofgeneralcategories.

A signicant number o people commented abouttheir rustration trying to meet all o the conditions

o parole.

Itshardonparole.Icantmovearound.Igot

classes,UAs[urinalysis]reporting,callinevery

morning.Icantgooutalldaytolookforajob.

Ihavetocallin.

[Its]frustrating.Forsomeonewhohadaplace

tolive,bankaccount,carandthentohave

nothing.Andthenyoucantgetajobafter

youreout.Andyouhavetoscheduleeverythingaroundparole.

Itshardbecauseyoustillhavetostrugglewith

thesystemoryourPO[paroleofcer]willsay

youreafailureandputyoubackinprison.

Ittakesoneandahalfhoursonewaytodropa

BAorUA[breathanalysis,urinalysis],twotimes

aweek.[Manypeopleonparolerelyonpublic

transportation.]

Youhavealotofdemandstomeetwhichis

okay,butIthinktheparolecouldgivemore

assistancethewaytheydealwithpeople.They

donttreatyouinafairway.

Therstdaytheyslammedme.Therestoo

manythingstodotheprograms,therules

Itsoverwhelming.

Iwanttoviolatemyparoleandgobackto

prisontonishmysentence,dayfordayMa-

turely,Iunderstanditsbeenbarelyamonth.

Onparole,someofthestufftheywantyoutodo

isridiculousreporteveryweek,meetingsevery

week.Howdotheyexpectyoutogetajobanddoeverything,especiallywhentheyhaveyouon

acurfew?Itslikedoingyoursentenceallover

again.Andtryingtogethealthcare?IDcard?

Finding a job and housing are two o the major

barriers or people coming out o prison.

Itshard.BeforeIwenttoprisonitwasntlike

this.Nowitshardtogetanapartment,getajob

oncetheyndoutyoureonparole.

Itsalotofstressnothavingaplacetolive.

Youreworriedaboutndingajob,beingonthe

streetswhenyouhavetoleavehere[theshelter].

Itshard.Youhavetheworryofkeepingevery-

bodyhappywithparolebutyouhavetond

ajobandhousing.FindinghousingthePO[paroleofcer]willapprove.Icanndhousing

butmyPOwontapprove.Parolerequire-

mentsaredifcult.Ittooktwoweekstoget

permissiontoanswerthepagerwithmycell

phonefromaconstructionsight.TheTASC

personsaysyouhavetotaketheseclasses.You

haveto.Itsnotthateasytondanemployer

toworkwithyou.Whenyouworkwithacrewof

people,theotherpeoplehavetopickupyour

slack.Idonthaveapprovaltodrive.Ihaveto

getapprovalforeverything.Several people spoke o their ear o ailing and

returning to prison, while others elt as i they had

been set up by the criminal justice system to ail.

Iwanttosucceed,butIvelosthopeinthelast

fewweeks.Therearejustsomanyinsurmount-

ablebarriersthatyoujustgethopeless.Over-

whelmed.IaskedtogotonewgenesisbutIwas

toldno.Igotoutwithnothing.Myfamilyissick

andcantsendmoney.Ihavetogetclothes,

buspasses,ID,allthisandnowajobwhilehavingtobeintheshelteratacertaintime.Its

toomuchexpectedinashortperiodoftime.

[It]sucks.[Im]broke.Nobodywantstohelp.

Everydooryougotogetsshut.Youfeellike

youregettingsetupforfailure.Crossroadsisa

set-upforfailure.

[Its]frustrating.ImndingoutImstronger

thanIthoughtIwas.Itfeelslikeparoledoesnt

care.Imsetuptofail.Theydonttrainus.

Werenotsetuptobereintegrated.Thewomen

dontgetthereintegration[servicesofferedmen].Norarefamiliesandsponsorstoldwhat

toexpect.Partofmesaysitwouldhavebeena

heckofaloteasiertokillmynumber.

Itshumbling.Itssetuptofail.Theshelterhas

becomeahalfwayhouse.Yougota7:00cur-

fewandtakingthebuseverywhere.Jobchoices

arelimited.


13/26

Some people talked about eeling humiliated by their

circumstances, and a couple o interviewees openly dis-

cussed having diculty managing their mental health.

Itsverydepressingtosaytheleast.Imbipolar

tooandheavilydepressed.Thatmakesthebur-

denintensied.Ihavethoughts.WhyamIdoingthiswhenImnotgettinganywhere?

[Its]humiliating.Thewaypeoplelookatyou.

Itsruinedme.Breaksyourspirit,yourheart.

MostmorningsIdontwanttowakeupany-

more.Ivehadtwoheartattacks.Iwishoneof

themhadkilledme.

Ithasntbeennice.Imsousedtoprovidingfor

myselfthatbeinghomelessIhavetoaskpeople

totakecareofmeandIdontlikethat.

Several people who struggle with substance abuse

elt as i their problem was exacerbated by their

environment, although it one case the situation was

the opposite.

Yourenotsupposedtoassociatewithfelonsor

bearounddrugactivitybutyoureforcedintothat

exactactivity.ThePO[paroleofcer]demandsit

byputtingmysobrietyinjeopardydaily[bytelling

himhehadtostayatthisparticularshelter].

Drugandalcoholusewasabigcontributortomy

cyclingfourtimesinandoutofincarcerationand

myhomelessness.Eachtimeyoucomeoutyoureatmoreofadisadvantage.Youhavealotofhoops

tojumpthroughtoappeaseparoleandtheshelter.

Thosetwoentitiesdontalwaysworktogether.

IfIhadntlandedhereinStep13Iwouldbeback

inprison.Iwassinking.Therelapseswitchwas

onandIcouldntgetitturnedoff.Iwasmaking

goodmoneyandalreadyinthatmode.

ThersttimeitwasrealhardinCrossroadsbe-

causeofthedrinkinganddruggingandyouhad

toleaveearlyinthemorning.Yousitalldayinadayshelterwithabunchofdrugpeople.Herein

SamaritanHouseyoucanstayhereduringtheday.

MyPO[paroleofcer]knowsIhavepriordrug

problemsandtoldmetostayawayfromtheback

fence.Thisfeelslikeatestorset-up.

Meeting the challenges o re-entering society

ater incarceration may be very stressul or

some people.

IfIwasntpoorIwouldleave.Itsstressful.The

environment.Parolehasdoneanythingtheycan

dotome.

Itsstressful,especiallywhenyoureonparole.

YourPO[paroleofcer]tellsyoutodostuffbut

youforget.Ineedtogetbackonmymeds.ImgoingtogotoStoutStreet.

[Its]crazy.Itsbeenhardandstressful.Ivenever

beenthroughthisbefore.

Idontlikeit.Itshardmentally.Ijustwanttogo

home.

Itsthersttimeforboth.Itsbeenkindofa

strugglebutIvelearnedwhatIneedtodo.Idont

likeithere[theshelter]butyougottodealwithit.

[Its]verystressful.Justanewexperience.

Itsprettyrough.Itshard.IdontthinkImequippedlikesomepeoplearewhenitcomesto

lifeskills.Havingtodoallthisbymyselftryingto

getaplacetolive.Imgettingtherunaround.Every

placeIgototheytellmetogotoanotherplace.

A nal group o comments demonstrate the

perspective some people have gained while living in

a shelter.

Itsahumblingexperience....Idonthaveitthat

bad.Ihavetocallinthemorningandgotomy

classes.Myemployerisexiblewithmyclasses.[Its]notbad.IseeotherpeoplealotworsethanI

am.Doingdrugsandstuff.Imdoingokay.Ijust

madeanefforttobeateamleader.

Beinghomelesstaughtmemyparentswereright.

BeingonparoletaughtmeIcouldntalwaystake

thingsinmyownhands.

Itschallengingsometimes.ImnotonISP[inten-

sivesupervisionprogram]soeverythingispretty

easyforme.

[Its]lovely.Ihaveaplacetoputmyhead.IhavenocurfewbutIsetoneformyself.MyPO[parole

ofcer]knowswhereIam.Ihavea24-hourcon-

tactwithhim.Icanleavemessages.Hecanleave

messages.IfIdogood,hesgoingtoshortenmy

lengthofparole.

Ihavegainedalotofrespectforthehomeless.

ThisisarutIdontwanttostayin.Someofthe

homelessareinthisrutandfallingintothisis

oneofmybiggestfears.

12


14/26

13

B i g g es t ch a l l en g e b ei n g h omel es s

a n d on p a rol e

Thesurveysnalqualitativequestionasked

paroleestoidentifythebiggestchallengethey

hadexperiencedwhilehomelessandonparole.

Theirresponsesonceagainfell(albeitnotalwaysneatly)intoseveralcategories.

For a signicant number o people, nding a job

and/or meeting their nancial responsibilities posed

their biggest challenge.

Ithinkaboutmynancialresponsibilitiesone

hundredtimesaday.IneedanID.Iwantto

getonit.

Notbeingabletoprovidebecauseofworkand

acurfew.Idontblamethesystem.Iblame

myself.Ivehadopportunitiesbefore.Tryingtogetajobandgetonmyfeet.

Makingrent.

Finances.Gettingajob.Findingandmaintainingsteadyemployment.

Employment.Housing.CoupleoftimesIve

beentoldtheywouldnthirefelonsstraightup.

Othertimesitsfeltliketheinterviewended

whenItoldthemIhadafelony.

Maintainingalevelofhygienethatssuitableto

mylevelofemployment.ThatswhyImnotwork-ingatBrownPalaceortheHyatt.(Hesachef.)

Tryingtogetajobwithmyfelonyconviction.And

tryingtokeepmyhealthinonepiece.

Lookingforajobandhavingtodoeverything

paroletellsyoutodo.Worriedthatyouregoingto

failparole.Idontwanttogobackagain.

MyPO[paroleofcer]istellingmetogetajob

andworkandpayoffmyC-WISEandnes.ButifI

getajobIwontgetSocialSecurity.Itsacatch-22.

IfIdontpayoffDOCtheyregoingtoviolateme,butImwaitingtohearaboutSSDI[SocialSecu-

rityDisabilityInsurance].ThedoctorsinFremont

[acorrectionalfacility]toldmetoapplyforSSDI.

Some people identied living in their shelter, or the

condition o being homeless while meeting other

responsibilities, as their biggest challenge.

Inweatherlikethis[snowy/cold]itshardtoget

upinthemorningandgetout.Ihavegunshot

woundsinbothlegs.

Beinghomelessherethedisrespectherein

Crossroads.They[theothermen]stealfromyou.

Itgetstobefrustrating.Alotoftheguyshere

dontstayclean.Theydontshowrespect.

Tryingtogetmylifebacktogether.Tryingtogeta

placetostay.Imscared.Ihatetocomebackhere[theshelter].

Mybiggestfearisgettingtiredonedayandnot

comingbackhere.

Tokeepfromputtingmyhandsonsomebodyand

goingback.Thisenvironmentisprettydisrespectful.

ComingtoCrossroadseverynight.

Survivinganddealingwithriffraffrudepeople,

tryingtogetintouchwithfamily,havingdoors

slammedinyourfacebecauseofyoubeingyou.

Thingsarejustalittleharder.Gettinghousingisharder.Beinghomelessisnotcomfortableany-

way.Imthankfulforthisplace[theshelter].

BeinghereatCrossroads.Butalotofthatisdue

tothedruginfestationandtryingtostaysober.

Imhavingtroublendingplacestogo.Youreout

at5:30amandmostplacesdontopenuntileight.

Yourewalkingaroundinthecold.

Other people elt their biggest challenge was eel-

ing overwhelmed by the combination o actors they

were dealing with.Therstweekyougetoutyourescaredandcon-

fused.Youknowwhenyoutakeacatoutanddump

itoff?Thatswhatyoufeellike.Yourescared.

Nothavinganysolutionstoanything.Nodoors

opentopeople.Thewaypeopletreatyou.I

shave.Ishowereveryday.Still,peoplelookat

youlikeyoureabucketofslime.Iusedtobea

strongperson.Thatsallgone.

Imnotstable.Iself-destruct.Iliketowakeup

onmyown,eatmybreakfast,stepoutthedoorwhenImready.Imnotastreetrunner.Here

Ivegottogooutside.

Underneatheverythingisincrediblegriefand

sorrowwithimprisonmentandsubsequent

loss.Ivehadalifetimeofdefeatandfailure.

Sufferedalotofabuseasachild.

Byputtingallthesethingsonyou,itmakesyou

wanttosayscrewyou.

[Mybiggestchallengeis]notkillingmyself.


15/26

Some people who struggle with substance abuseidentiy this struggle as their primary challengeo re-entry.

ThehardestisstayingawayfromdrugsandalcoholbecausetherearetimesIwanttohave

adrinkanddoahitbutIdontwanttogobacktoDOC.

Stayingfreeandnotgoingbacktoprison.Working.Ilikeworking.Leavingthedrugs.

Nottoviolatemyparoleandkeepmysobrietyout here.

Theunknown.Idontknowwhatthehellisgo-ingtohappen.Imightrelapsegetfrustratedandgiveup.Otherthanaplacetosleep,someclothes,food,Igotnothing.

Notsmokingweed.

Stayingclean,butIvebeendoingit.Igotodruggroupsthroughtheparoleofce,andittakesavillage.

And nally, some people who struggle with mentalillness identied this as their biggest challenge.

Imbipolar.IgetguineapigmedsfromStoutStreet.[Im]stavingoffdepressionwhiledealingwiththedailystressofparoleandstartingover.

Managingmedicalneedswhilehomeless.IcantndthementalhealthservicesIneed.ImgettingthemedsbutImnotgettingcounselingandtherapy.

Functioningstraightandnothavingmymeds.Bipolarswingsarehard.SometimesImmoti-vatedtodostuffandsometimesImnot.

14

parolee % on parole

shelter count count in shelterBrandonCenter(women) ..................................... 54 .........................0............................0%

Crossroads(men) ................................................. 327 ........................ 175 .........................54%

DeloresProject(women) .......................................45 .......................... 5 ...........................11%

DenverRescueMission(men&women) ............580.........................4 ............................1%

newgenesis(men)................................................. 120........................ 10 ...........................8%

SamaritanHouse(men&women) ..................... 269 ....................... 14 ...........................5%

Step13(men) ......................................................... 75.......................... 2 ............................3%

TheodoraHouse(women) ................................... 29.......................... 1 ............................3%

total total paroleecount count

1,499 ......................211 .........................14%

29 The count was provided by the sta o the shelters except or the overfow beds at Denver Rescue Mission and Samaritan House. At bothSamaritan House and Denver Rescue Mission, CCJRC sta asked people in the overfow line or overfow beds to sel-identiy whether theywere on parole. The program managers at both shelters questioned the lack o positive response, so the count o people on parole or thesetwo shelters may be low. Because it was dicult to count the number o people on parole allowed upstairs in Denver Rescue Mission thenight o the 25th, CCJRC sta returned two nights later or another count. The count did not change, although a sta member said heestimated that around 5% o the 314 people at Denver Rescue Missions overfow and New Lie Program (est. 16 people) were on parole.

Point-in-Time CountOnWednesday,February25,2009,aCCJRCstaff

memberconductedacountofpeopleineight

sheltersthatnight,includingacountofthe

numberofpeopleknowntobeonparole.29

Thesheltershousedatotalof1,499people,

eitherinthesheltersprogrambedsoron

overowmats.Ofthisnumber,211(201menand

10women)wereknowntobeonparole.This

indicatesthatatleast14%ofthepeopleineight

majorsheltersinDenverthatparticularnight

wereonparole.Alistofthecountbyindividual

shelterfollows.

Numberofpeopleintheshelters,includingthenumberofpeopleonparole,fromapoint-in-timecountofeightsheltersconductedonFebruary25,2009.


16/26

15

Interviews with Shelter Staff

ThethirdpartofCCJRCshomelessparolee

surveyinvolvedpersonalinterviewswith

programdirectors,coordinators,and

projectmanagersineightofDenversmajor

emergencyshelters.

Duringtheinterviews,CCJRCtriedtoreach

abetterunderstandingaboutthefollowing:

whethertheshelteranticipatedanychange

withacceptingpeopleonparole

whethertheshelterhadseenachangeinthe

numberofpeopleonparolewhoneededits

services

theneedsofpeopleonparoleandwhether/

howthisimpactedtheshelter

whetherthestafffelttheshelterwasableto

meettheneedsofpeopleonparole

thesheltersrelationshipwithDepartment

ofCorrectionsparoleofcers/re-entry

specialists

Change in accepting parolees

Noneofthesheltersplannedondecreasing

thenumberofparoleesacceptedbythe

shelter,andhalfdidnotanticipatemakingany

changeintheiracceptanceormanagementofpeopleonparole.30Halfoftheshelterswantto

acceptmorepeopleonparoleandcollaborate

toagreaterextentwiththeDepartmentof

Correctionswiththispopulation.Onestaff

membersaidhisshelterislookingforaway

tobemoreinvolvedwithre-entryfortherst

60daysandstabilizingtheirlivesastheycome

outofprison.Anothersaidhisshelterhopes

tohousemorepeoplecomingoutofprison.

Athirdreportedhavingboththecapacityandinterestinhousingmoreparolees.

Most have experienced increase

in parolees

Fiveoftheeightshelterprovidersreporteda

steadyincreaseinparoleesusingtheirshelters.

Oneshelterreportedseeingmorepeople

[onparole]thaneverbefore.Anothershelter

experienceda20%increaseinparoleesfrom

September2007toSeptember2008.Two

sheltersreportednochangeintheuseoftheir

shelterbyparolees.Oneshelterreportedadramaticdecreaseinthenumberofparolees

attheshelter.

Needs of parolees/impact upon shelters

Shelterstaffidentiedmanyofthesameneeds

listedbytheparoleesduringtheirinterviews,

andthensome.Besidesthebasicneedsof

food,shelter,clothing,showers,hygieneitems,

etc.,staffmembersidentied:

accesstotrainingandeducation,including

GeneralEducationDevelopment(GED)

messageandjobboards

information/helpaccessinginformation

medicalneeds/healthresources

statedriverslicenseoridenticationcard,

SocialSecuritycard,birthcerticate

phones

meetingtherequirementsofSocialServices

ifparoleeshavechildren

casemanagement/strongorientation

curfewsthatdonotconictwiththeirjobs

Whenaskedtoidentifythemostpressing

needpresentedbyhomelessparolees,shelter

staffrespondedwithneedsthatfellinto

twocategories.Therstcategorywasmore

concrete:

employment/aggressivejobreferralsand

supportwiththejobsearch

transportation

affordabletransitionalorpermanenthousingmeetingthetimerequirementsofparole/

beingcountedsotheydontgetintrouble

withparole

structure/stability

30 At the time o the interviews in early 2009, none o the shelters planned on decreasing the number o parolees it would accept. On July 29,2009, Denver Salvation Army announced it would close Crossroads and ocus resources on expanding its transitional housing program.http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/20217855/detail.html.


17/26

16

Thesecondcategoryofpressingneedindicated

thefragilityofthispopulation:

anopportunitytogetthemselves

together

beingtreatedwithcarebythecommunity

beingabletodiscusstheirproblems

Staffmembersfromsevenoftheeightshelters

saidthathavingpeopleonparoleintheirshelter

hadnoimpactorhadapositiveimpactuponthe

shelter.Onesheltersstaffmemberexplained,

Theresnonegativeaspectatall.Theresno

differencebetweenparoleesandtheother

peopleintheshelter.Actually,theyrealotmore

disciplinedandcordialbecausetheyreunder

supervision.Anotherstaffpersonsaid:Typically

paroleesaremuchmoremotivatedtoworkour

programasaconditionoftheirparole.Atthe

sametime,manyhavedifcultyadjustingtothe

freedomsourprogramoffers.

Almosteveryshelterwouldlimitthenumberof

paroleestoacertainproportionofpeopleinthe

shelter.Severalstaffexplainedthislimitwasdue

tothepossibilityofachangeinculture.One

womansshelterhadnoticedafearfactorwiththe

otherwomenintheshelterandstaffandaprisonmentalitywithlargernumbers,butwithasmaller

number,theyintegratebetterintothemilieu.

Ability of shelters to meet parolees needs

Somesheltersprovidedavarietyofservices

forparoleesneeds.Forexample,oneshelter

providedgroupcounseling,orientation,

substanceabuseclass,anemploymentprogram,

andtransitionalhousing,whileanotherhadon-

sitemedical,psychiatricandpsychologyservices,

alongwitharesidentialoutpatienttreatmentprogramforco-occurringdisorders.Yetanother

shelterprovidedcasemanagementtoevery

resident,aswellasreferralstolocalresources

suchasWorkforceDevelopment,medical

resources,andhousingresources.

Shelterstaffalsospokeofthegapsintheir

services.Onestaffmembersaid,Wecould

usecasemanagers.Ifeelwecoulddosomuch

moreifwehadfundingforsomeonetohelp

peopleunderstandthesystem.Anotherstaff

memberacknowledgedthatstaffcouldusemore

educationonhowtointerfaceinasupportivewayandhaveagreaterunderstandingofwhattheyre

dealingwith.Yetathirdsaid,Wecanhelpwith

daylaborbutwedonthavetheresourcestohelp

withjobplacement.Onepersonmentioneda

gapincommunityresourcesanddescribedbeing

abletoconnectpeoplewithcommunityresources

butalsostrugglingwithlimitedcommunity

resources.Anotherprogrammanagerdescribed

adifferentsortofresourcegap:somewhereto

connectwithpeoplearoundsomethingpositive.

Theshelterwherethemajorityofparoleeslived

doesnotofferasmanyresourcesassomeof

theothermajorsheltersinDenver.Crossroads

providesbeds/mats,meals,showers,job

andmessageboards,andreligiousspeakers.

Thesheltercannotoffersupportiveservices

andprograms,accordingtoaCrossroads

spokesperson,becauseofaDenvercityordinance.31

Inordertoremainoutsideoftheordinances

requirementsforsheltersthathousepeopleconvictedofcertaincrimes,Crossroadscannot

offerservicesandprograms.Westeppedupwhen

565affectedalltheothershelters,aspokesperson

said.Itisimportantthatthecityspolicymakers

understandthisdilemma.IfCrossroadshadnot

steppedup,thecityandcountyofDenverwould

havehadnoemergencysheltertohousehomeless

paroleesconvictedofcertainoffenses,including

specicsexoffensesandviolentoffenses.The

SalvationArmyhasrecentlyannouncedtheclosingofCrossroadsasanemergencyshelter.

Relationship between shelters and

parole officers/re-entry personnel

Threesheltersreportedagoodrelationship

betweenparoleofcers/re-entrystaffand

shelterpersonnel,withcommunicationseen

31 Ordinance 565 is urther explained in recommendation #5.


18/26

17

asthekeytoimprovingand/ormaintaining

thatrelationship.Forexample,oneshelter

characterizedtherelationshipasfriendly,and

thetwo[paroleofcers]Ihaveinteractedwith

communicatefrequentlyandseemontopof

supervisingtheirparolees.Anotherprogrammanagerreportedtheshelterscasemanager

hadaverygoodrelationshipwithparole

ofcers.Anothershelterreportedaverygood

relationshipandaweeklyteammeetingwitha

representativefromWorkandFamilyCenter.

Severalsheltersexpressedadesireforimproved

communicationwithparolestaff.Onestaff

memberreportedtherelationshipisgetting

betterbecauseofthemeetingswevehad.He

added,Butreallyitsnonexistent.Theresreallynocommunication.Wedontunderstandwhat

theyretryingtoachieve.Nooneknowswhat

anyoneelseisdoing.Anothershelterreported

verylimitedcontactwithparoleofcersand

theDOC[DepartmentofCorrections],while

anotherwouldliketoimproveit.Onemanager,

whoexpressedadesiretohaveadditional

peopleonparoleinhisprogram,saidhewanted

morecommunicationbetweentheDOCand

thecommunity.Ifwecouldcometogetheras

agroup,wecouldsaveourcommunityalotof

money.Heobservedoftherevolvingdoorof

recidivism:Everytimewehaveaparoleego

throughthecycle,youlosealittlemorehelp.Stafffromseveralsheltersdescribedhowaparole

ofcersactionsmaypresentaconicttoshelter

personnelandtheirresponsibilityforeveryonein

theirshelter.Forexample,onepersonsaidsome

paroleofcerswanttocomeintothediningroom

tolookfortheirparolee,buttheshelterstaff

sawthisactionasabreachofprivacyforthe

otherwomenintheshelter.Onecasemanager

saidhisrelationshipwasgettingbetter,buthe

hadclashesinthepastwithPOs[paroleofcers]cominginthinkingtheyhavetherunofthe

place.Hedescribedparoleofcerscominginto

thesheltersayingtheyregoingtopersonally

checkthedorm.Hecontinued,Wedont

letthemdothat.Thelastthingwewantisfor

someonewithagunwalkingthroughthedorm

lookingforsomeone.


19/26

18

Recommendations

TheissueofpeopleexitingColoradosprisons

homelessiscomplex,andthisreportultimately

foundnooneexplanation.However,thend-

ingsfromthereportsinterviews,point-in-time

count,andinterviewswiththeemergencyshelter

staffsuggestareaswherechangesinpoliciesand

practicesmayhelpreducethisnumberand/or

shortenthelengthoftimeparoleesarehomeless.

1. CCJRC recommends the Department o Correc-

tions identiy people at risk o being released

homeless prior to their release, preerably as

early as possible.

Earlyidenticationallowsforgreatertimetoplan

andexploreoptionsforthoseatriskofbeingreleasedhomeless.Actionsonthepartofthe

Departmentthatmaypreventorreducehome-

lessnessinclude:

Encourage applications to community correc-

tions or people at risk o being released homeless

while on parole and ensure that case managers

re-reer people with homeless release plans 12 to

14 months rom their mandatory release date.

Halfwayhousesmaybeaviablealternativefor

somepeoplewhowouldotherwisebereleasedhomeless.In2008,theColoradoCommission

onCriminalandJuvenileJusticerecommended

theDepartment:Encouragetheuseofdiscre-

tionaryparoletocommunitycorrectionsinlieu

ofhomelessparoleplanstoprovideastableliv-

ingsituationpriortotheoffendersmandatory

paroleplan(MRD).Sixtoeightmonthsprior

totheMRD,acasemanagershouldsubmit

anapplicationtocommunitycorrectionsfor

individualswhoarelikelytoparolehomeless.32

TheDepartmentrecentlyrevisedtheadminis-

trativeregulationthatgovernscommunitycor-

rectionsreferralandplacementtoinclude:At

thediscretionofthecasemanager,anoffender

maybere-referredtocommunitycorrections

if:1)theoffenderis14monthspriortotheirestimatedMRD[mandatoryreleasedate];2)

theoffendercontinuestobeeligiblebydisplay-

ingacceptableinstitutionalbehavior.33Inorder

toensurethatpeoplewhoaremostlikelyto

parolehomelesshaveanotherchancetobe

acceptedintoacommunitycorrectionsfacility,

CCJRCrecommendsthisadministrativeregu-

lationberevisedtorequirecasemanagersto

re-referpeopletocommunitycorrectionsifthey

haveahomelessreleaseplan12to14monthspriortotheirmandatoryreleasedate.

Encourage people in prison who will be home-

less ater release to apply or community-based

transitional housing opportunities prior to their

release. Thisstepinvolveseducatingprison-

ersandDepartmentofCorrectionsstaffabout

thealternativestoreleasinghomeless,suchas

community-basedtransitionprograms(Charitys

HouseMinistries,MatthewsCenterforExcel-

lence,DenverRescueMissionsChampaHouseandNewLifeProgram,etc.).Thesurveyresults

indicatethat55%ofhomelessparoleesdidnot

knowabouttheseprograms.

Encourage the timely submission o Interstate

Compact transer applications by Department o

Corrections case managers prior to release. Timely

submissionofInterstateCompactapplications

bycasemanagersiscurrentlyinaDepartmentof

Correctionsadministrativeregulation.34How-

ever,thisreportsndingssuggestthatseveral

32ColoradoCommissiononCriminalandJuvenileJustice2008AnnualReport . December 2008. Page 36. Available online at http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/cccjj/2008recommendations.html. In its Response to the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice 2008Re-Entry Recommendations, released in May 2009, the Department responded that it does not identiy Oenders in the inormationsystem as homeless and there is concern by the various homeless commissions regarding stereotyping people as homeless. CCJRC disagreesthat identiying people at risk o homelessness is stereotyping and believes that early identication o homelessness is comparable to otheridentiable release-specic needs, such as medical needs, and encourages the Department to implement this Commission recommendation.

33 Department o Corrections. Administrative Regulation 250-03 (IV)(B)(8). Eective date May 15, 2009.Available online at https://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/comboweb/weblets/index.php/regulations/home.

34 For discretionary release oenders, the [transer application] packet will be submitted when the oender has been placed on tabled status bythe Parole Board. For mandatory release cases, the packet will be submitted within 120 days prior to the oenders scheduled Parole Boardreview. Colorado Department o Corrections. Administrative Regulation 1300-01(IV)(B)(1). Eective Date January 15, 2009.


20/26

paroleeslivinginDenverssheltersdidnothave

theirapplicationssubmittedinatimelymanner.

Paroleofcersshouldalsobeencouragedto

submitInterstateCompacttransferapplications

onatimelybasis.Thisreportsndingsincluded

severalpeoplewhohadbeeninstructedbytheirparoleofcertoliveintheshelterforaperiodof

timebeforetheparoleofcerwouldsubmitthe

InterstateCompacttransferapplication.35

Thispersonalpracticebysomeparoleofcers

isnotrequiredbythegoverningadministrative

regulation.

Prioritize eligibility into the Departments Pre-

Release Program or people who are at risk o

being homeless upon release.TheDepartment

ofCorrectionshasmadeasignicantefforttoimproveitsre-entrypreparationeffortswithits

recentlyintroducedPre-ReleaseProgram,are-

entrycurriculumcurrentlyofferedin19facilities.

ThePre-ReleaseProgramprovidesacontinuum

ofservicesfromthefacilitytothecommunity

throughthedevelopmentofatransitionalaction

planthatincludesidentication,housing,employ-

ment,transportation,etc.However,sincethe

capacityofthisprogramisroughly2,000people

ayear36

andtheDepartmentofCorrectionscur-rentlyreleasesover10,500peopleayear,37the

majorityofpeoplereleasedwillnotreceivethese

services.Peopleatriskofreleasinghomeless

couldbeprioritizedtoreceivethemoreintensive

planningandassistanceavailablethroughthe

Pre-ReleaseProgram.

Encourage people at risk o releasing homeless

to ully explore every potential parole sponsor.

Peopleatriskofreleasinghomelessmayneed

tobecoachedthroughreleaseplanningtofully

exploreeveryparolesponsoroptiontheymay

have.Insomecases,relationshipswithfami-liesandfriendsarestrainedand/ordamaged.

Peopleinprisonhavetheresponsibilityofmain-

tainingtheserelationshipsandmaybenetfrom

assistancewiththiscomplexarea,eitherthrough

coachingorprisonprograms.Prisonersmay

alsoneedtobeeducatedaboutthedifcultiesof

beingonparoleinahomelessshelter.


tions ensure that community corrections boards

are aware when an applicant is homeless, andthat community corrections boards give special

consideration when it is known the applicant will

be homeless upon release.

TheDOCreferralpacketusually,butnotalways,

includesinformationthataparticularapplicant

islikelytobereleasedhomeless.Itisnotclear

whetherthecommunitycorrectionsboardsor

providersplaceanyparticularweightuponthat

factor.CCJRCisnotmakingablanketrecommen-

dationregardingtheboardsacceptancepolicies.Acceptanceintoacommunitycorrectionsfacility

byboththeboardandtheproviderisacompli-

cateddecision-makingprocess.However, CCJRC

recommends the Department ensure that community

corrections boards are aware that an applicant is

homeless, and that the boards give special consider-

ation when it is known an applicant will be homeless

upon release.

19

35 The CPO [community parole ocer], upon determining the parolees eligibility to transer under the Interstate Compact Agreement shallsubmit the Transer Investigation Request to their immediate supervisor listed in ICOTS [Interstate Compact Oender Tracking System]. Thesupervisor shall look over the request and either send back to the CPO or modication or submit to the Colorado Interstate Compact Oce

or approval. Colorado Department o Corrections. Administrative Regulation 1300-01(IV)(D)(1). Eective Date January 15, 2009.

36 Oce o State Planning and Budgeting. Governor Ritters FY 2009-10 Crime Prevention and Recidivism Reduction Package Fact Sheet.November 2008. Page 3.

37ColoradoDepartmentofCorrections.StatisticalReport:FiscalYear2008 . Released June 2009. Page 22.Available online at https://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/combo2.0.0/userles/older_18/StatRpt08nal.pd.


21/26

3. In order to allow or a more comprehensive

analysis, CCJRC recommends the Department

o Corrections ofcially track and report the

number o people released homeless, their

parole revocation rate, and the fling o escape

charges on this population.

Aspreviouslyexplained,theDepartmentof

Correctionsdoesnotappeartoformallytrack

thespecicnumberofpeoplereleasedhome-

less,eitheronparoleoriftheydischargewithout

furthersupervision.Inordertoallowformore

comprehensiveanalysisandplanningbythe

Department,policymakers,andserviceproviders,

CCJRC recommends the Department o Corrections

specically track the number o parolees released

homeless and the names o the emergency shelters/shelter programs and temporary housing acilities/

boarding houses to which they are released.

Inadditiontotrackinginformationaboutparol-

eesreleasedhomeless,CCJRC also recommends

the Department track the rate o revocation (both

or new crimes and technical violations) or this

population in order to better determine whether

homeless parolees have a higher rate o revocation.

Ifthereisasubstantialdifference,thisinforma-

tioncouldprovebenecialtoparoleofcesandserviceprovidersinthecommunity.Parolerevo-

cationsfortechnicalviolationsconstituteasub-

stantialpercentofadmissionstotheDepartment

ofCorrections.Inscalyear2008,30%ofthe

11,038totaladmissionswerereturnedtoprison

onaparolerevocationforatechnicalviolation.38

Withbetteroutcomesfortheparoleepopulation,

includinghomelessparolees,thesavingsforthe

statecouldbesignicant.

Trackingdataaboutescapeconvictionsmayalsobebenecialtothestate.Abouttwo-thirdsofthe

paroleesinterviewedindicatedtheyweresuper-

visedundertheintensivesupervisionprogram

(ISP).IfthewhereaboutsofaparoleeonISPcan

notbedeterminedbyhis/herparoleofcerorifa

paroleeonISPchangesresidencewithoutper-

missionfromhis/herparoleofcer,thatparolee

mayfaceanescapecharge,afelonywithaman-

datorysentencethatmustbeservedconsecu-

tively.(ParoleeswhoarenotonISPstatusfacean

abscondingviolationiftheirwhereaboutsareunknown,whichisaparoleviolationversus

anewcharge.)

CCJRC also recommends the Department track the

number o homeless parolees who are subsequently

convicted o escape.TheDepartmentreleases

informationaboutprisonadmissionsbyoffense,

andescapeisthefthhighestnonviolentcat-

egory(384peopleduringscalyear2008).39 A

signicantnumberofhomelessparoleesmaybe

onISPstatus,andawalkawayfromasheltermayleadtothemoreseriouschargeofescape

ratherthanabsconding.Thisinformationcould

helpdeterminewhetherthereisahigherrateof

escapebyhomelessparoleesonISPascompared

withotherparoleesonISP.Andagain,any

reductioninescapeconvictionswouldresult

insignicantsavingstothestate.

Finally, CCJRC recommends the Department pub-

licly report the number o people released homeless,

their revocation rate or technical violations, and theling o escape charges on this population.Educat-

ingawideraudiencecouldpromoteincreased

understandingaboutthispopulationandcollabo-

rationbetweenagencies.


tions discontinue the current practice o con-

centrating homeless parolees in one shelter and

explore partnerships with other shelters in Denver.

Thepoint-in-timecountestablishedthat83%of

theparoleesstayingintheeightmajoremergency

sheltersinDenverwereconcentratedinoneof

thesesheltersthenightofFebruary25,2009.Of

theeightshelters,thatparticularshelteralsohad

thehighestproportionofparoleestoitsgeneral

population:54%comparedtothenexthighest

20

38ColoradoDepartmentofCorrections.StatisticalReport:FiscalYear2008 . Released June 2009. Page 12.Available online at https://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/combo2.0.0/userles/older_18/StatRpt08nal.pd.

39 Ibid. Page 15.


22/26

concentrationof11%.CCJRCndstheconcentra-

tionofparoleestroublinginandofitself,butthis

iscompoundedbythefactthatthisshelterlacks

manyoftheservicesandprograms(whichifof-

feredwouldviolatecityordinance565)available

fromothershelters.CCJRCalsondsitofconcernthatasignicantnumberofparoleesspokenega-

tivelyaboutthisshelterandvoicedconcernsabout

theirriskofrelapseduetotheavailabilityofdrugs

andalcoholatorneartheshelter.

Theconcentrationofparoleesappears,inpart,to

beapolicydecisionbytheDepartmentofCorrec-

tions.40Thus, CCJRC recommends the Department

o Corrections explore partnering with other shelters to

house parolees.41Halfofthesheltersinvolvedinthis

surveyindicatedtheirinterestinsuchapartner-ship,especiallyiftheywouldreceiveamonetary

voucher.Thesesheltersofferanumberofservices

topeopleacceptedbytheirprograms.However,

thesesheltersalsoindicatedtheywouldlimitthe

numberofparoleestoacertainproportionoftheir

sheltershomelesspopulationsincetheybelieved

thatahighdensityofparoleessometimes

recreatedtheprisonculture.

5. CCJRC recommends the Denver City Council ex-

plore the consequences o ordinance 565, serieso 2001, and consider revising the ordinance.

Ordinance565,adoptedbytheDenverCity

Councilin2001toamendchapter26inDenvers

RevisedMunicipalCode,maypartiallyexplain

theconcentrationofparoleesinoneshelter.The

ordinancerequiresanongovernmentalresidential

facility42 inDenverthatprovideslodgingalong

withsupervisionortreatmentforoneormore

offendersconvictedofcertaincrimes43 andcur-rentlyundersupervision(e.g.,parole)forthat

crimetoalsomeetanumberofrequirements,

includingspecicstafng.Becausetheserequire-

mentswereonerousorcostprohibitivefora

numberofshelters,boardinghouses,residential

treatmentfacilities,andtransitionalhousingpro-

viders,theresultwasthedenialofthishousing

opportunityforcertainoffendersorforthefacility

toonlyofferlodging.44

Anumberofserviceprovidersandadvocates(ColoradoCoalitionfortheHomeless,National

AlliancefortheMentallyIll,MentalHealthCenter

ofDenver,SalvationArmy,etc.),probationof-

cers,paroleofcers,andconcernedcitizenshave

encouragedtheDenverCityCounciltoexplore

theconsequencesofordinance565,butthese

effortshavestalled.Because our ndings suggest

the results o this ordinance may not be in the best

interest o public saety or successul re-entry, CCJRC

recommends the Denver City Council evaluate theunintended consequences o the ordinance and revise

it accordingly.

21

40 A number o people interviewed at Crossroads shelter reported asking or permission to transer to another shelter.Almost all o them were told they must stay at Crossroads and would not be given a voucher or another shelter.

41 Recent events indicate the importance o this recommendation. On July 30, 2009, Denver Salvation Army announced it was closingCrossroads shelter in order to ocus resources on its transitional housing program. It is not known whether the citys other homeless shelterswill be able to accommodate the homeless parolees that stayed at Crossroads. The Salvation Armys transitional housing will haveacceptance criteria consistent with ordinance 565.

42 A nongovernmental residential acility is dened by ordinance 565 as a location/place not owned by the state or city that provides lodgingalong with supervision or treatment o oenders. Council o the City and County o Denver. Ordinance 565, Series o 2001. Available onlineat http://www.denvergov.org/tabid/37889/Deault.aspx?link=http://www.denvergov.org/apps/docudex/ordinances.asp&title= City%20Ordinance%20Search. Page 2.

43 Ibid, Pages 1-2. These oenses include crimes against persons, arson, robbery, burglary and related oenses, incest, wrongs to children,domestic violence, harassment--stalking, assault, and oenses related to rearms. See the noted pages or a specic list o the statutesdescribing these crimes.

44 The concentration o 83% o the homeless parolees in one out o eight major shelters in Denver the night o CCJRCs point-in-time countis not wholly explained by ordinance 565. The interviews with parolees suggest that not every parolee in Crossroads was under supervision

or a violent or sex oense.


23/26


tions articulate in a written policy the criteria

considered by parole ofcers and supervisors or

denial or acceptance o a parole plan and any

reconsideration that may be appropriate i the

denial o a parole plan results in the homelessrelease o a parolee.

Inadministrativeregulation250-21,theDepart-

mentofCorrectionsoutlinestheprocessbywhich

aparoleplanisinvestigated,includingaparolees

potentialresidence.Aparoleofcerisrequired

toconductapre-paroleinvestigationandsubmit

his/herndingstoasupervisor.Thesupervisoris

thenresponsibleforapprovingordenyingthepa-

roleofcerspre-paroleinvestigation.Theadmin-

istrativeregulationdoesnotidentifycriteriabywhichaparoleofceristobasehis/herdecision

todeny(orapprove)aparoleresidence,nordoes

itidentifythecriteriabywhichaparolesupervisor

approvesordeniestheparoleofcersdecision.

Thisunguideddiscretionmayleadtoinconsisten-

ciesindecision-making.

CCJRC recommends the Department o Corrections

revise administrative regulation 250-21 to include

criteria to guide the parole ocers decision to deny a

parole residence and the parole supervisors decision-making.Wealsorecommendthecriteriainclude

specialconsiderationsthatmaybeappropriate

ifthedenialofaresidencewouldresultinthe

paroleebeinghomeless.45

7.CCJRC recommends area county jails explore the

easibility o developing an alternative step-down

transitional program or homeless parolees, such

as the Denver Homeless Transition Program, a

collaborative pilot project between the Denver

County Jail, the Department o Corrections, andthe Division o Criminal Justice.

Halfofthepeopleinterviewedforthisreportsaid

theywereconvictedinacountyoutsideof

Denver.Because there is not enough transitional

housing or people who are released homeless,

CCJRC recommends area county jails explore the

easibility o developing an alternative step-down

transitional program or homeless parolees.Oneex-

ampleofthisistheDenverHomelessTransitionProgram(DHTP),atransitionalprogramrecently

implementedbytheDenverCountyJailincollabo-

rationwiththeDepartmentofCorrectionsand

theDivisionofCriminalJustice.Thepilotproject

haseligibilitycriteriaandanacceptanceprocess

managedbytheDenverCountyCommunityCor-

rectionsBoardandateamofparoleofcers.Its

targetpopulationincludesprisonerswithinnine

monthsoftheirmandatoryreleasedatefromthe

DepartmentofCorrectionswhoaregoingtobereleasedhomelessinDenver.

DHTPofferspeopleacceptedintotheprogram

anopportunitytostabilizetheirlife(getanID,

ndemployment,startasavingsfund,etc.)and

offersprogramsandsupervision,muchlikea

communitycorrectionsfacility.However,unlike

communitycorrectionsfacilities,inmatesaccept-

edintoDHTParenotchargedfortheirhousing.

Theprogramcurrentlyhousesupto15peopleat

theDenverCountyJailforanexpectedstayofsixmonthsandislookingtoexpandtoincludead-

ditionalmenandwomen.

8. CCJRC recommends that metro area counties

identiy and address the gaps in community-based

services and housing or homeless people leaving

prison or jail and returning to their counties.

Ifaparoleedoesnothaveaparolesponsorand

willbehomelessuponrelease,itisDepartment

policytoreleasetheparoleetothecountyin

whichs/hewasconvicted.46However,severalmetroareacountiesdonothaveanemergency

shelterortransitionalhousing.Whenthisisthe

case,theDepartmentplacesahomelessparolee

22

45 CCJRC has been inormed the Department is currently in the process o revising this administrative regulation in order to add speciclanguage about pre-parole investigation decision-making.

46 I the parolee does not have a viable residence, the oender shall be reerred to the community re-entry specialist and regional oce, whichsupervises the county rom which the oender was convicted. Department o Corrections. Administrative Regulation 250-21(4)(A)(3).Eective date June 15, 2009. Available online at https://exdoc.state.co.us/secure/comboweb/weblets/index.php/regulations/home.


24/26

inacountywithsheltersand/ortransitional

housing,whichisoftenDenver.47

Halfofthepeopleinterviewedforthisreport

saidtheywereconvictedinacountyoutsideof

Denver.ThepracticeofDenverdumping,

asitiscolloquiallyreferredto,isdrivenbythelackofservicesforcountyresidentswhoare

homelessuponleavingjailorprison.Thus,

CCJRC recommends that metro area counties

identiy and address their gaps in services and

housing or homeless people leaving prison or

jail and returning to their county.

9. CCJRC recommends Denvers Road Home con-

duct a survey o the admission policies o hous-

ing providers that receive state, ederal, or local

government unding in Denver, including public

housing authorities, nonproft long-term hous-

ing providers, and private landlords involved

with Section 8 housing. CCJRC recommends

this report be made available to the public.

Manyofthepoliciesthatpublichousing

authorities(PHA)adoptinregardtoadmitting

peoplewithacriminalconvictionaremore

restrictivethanrequiredbyfederallawandreject

allpeoplewithcriminalrecordsratherthan

admittingthemonacase-by-casebasis.This

maybeduetoamisunderstandingoftheCodeof

FederalRegulationswhichmandatesthatPHAs

mustdenyadmissiontopeopleonlywithcertain

criminalconvictions.48

Unilaterallydenyingaccesstopublichousing

removesapossiblehousingoptionforaparolee,

particularlyifhisorherpotentialparolesponsor

livesinpublichousing.Therefore,nomatterwhat

theircrime,someparoleeswhocouldbeinstable

housingwithaparolesponsorareforcedtoparole

homelessandresideinemergencyovernight

shelters.49Inaddition,unilaterallydenyingaccess

topublichousingsolelyonthefactthatsomeonehasacriminalrecordmaycreatechronicand/or

long-termhousinginstabilityforpeoplewhoare

strugglingnanciallyandnotabletomaketheleap

fromasheltertotheprivatesectorhousingmarket.

Thus, CCJRC recommends that Denvers Road

Home conduct a survey o the admission policies o

housing opportunities that receive state, ederal, or

local government unding in Denver, including public

housing authorities, nonprot long-term housing

providers, and private landlords involved withSection 8 housing. The ndings o this survey should

be made available to the public.

Thissurveyshoulddeterminetheformaladmission

policiesofthesehousingprovidersforpeoplewith

acriminalconviction.Inaddition,thesurveyshould

alsodeterminetheactualpracticesandoutcomes.

Forexample,ifahousingproviderindicatesthat

itacceptspeoplewithacriminalconvictionona

case-by-casebasis,thesurveyshouldalsoaskthe

housingprovidertoprovidethenumberofpeoplewithacriminalconvictionithasacceptedand

rejectedoverthepastyear.

Notingthatitisoftendifcultforoffendersto

workwithlandlordsandthehousingauthority,

theCommissiononCriminalandJuvenile

Justicerecentlyrecommendedthatpolicymakers

educateandencouragehousingauthoritiesto

23

47 CCJRC does not support a blanket policy requiring homeless parolees to serve their period oparole in their county o conviction and preers a policy that allows or case-by-case discretion.

48 The Code o Federal Regulations mandates that public housing authorities (PHA) prohibit admission i any household member has everbeen convicted o manuacturing methamphetamine on the premises o ederally assisted housing or i any household member is subjectto a states lietime sex oender registration program. Code o Federal Regulations, Chapter 24, Part 982.553. Page 624. Accessed online athttp://rwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/PDFgate.cgi? WAISdocID =36569229791+1+2 +0&WAISaction=retrieve.

49 Ibid. The Code o Federal Regulations directs PHAs to prohibit admission or certain current criminal activities. For example, a PHA mustdeny admission to an applicant i a household member is within three years rom the date o eviction rom ederally assisted housing ordrug-related criminal activity unless the evicted household member has successully completed an approved drug rehabilitation program. ThePHA must also have standards that prohibit admission i the PHA determines a household member is using illegal drugs, or i a householdmembers use o illegal drugs threatens the health, saety, or right to peaceul enjoymentby other residents. Additionally, the PHA mayalso prohibit admission i the PHA determines any household member is currently engaged in, or has engaged in during a reasonable timebeore the admission o certain criminal activities. Ibid.


25/26

benomorerestrictivethantheHUDguidelines

inrefusingpublichousingtopeoplewith

criminalrecords.50CCJRChopesthatDenvers

RoadHomewillsupportthisCommission

recommendationandsupporteffortsto

encouragehousingauthoritiestodevelopcriteriasuchasthenatureoftheconviction,

relevanceoftheconvictiontothehousing,length

oftimesincetheconviction,andevidenceof

rehabilitationinordertoassessadmissionona

case-by-casebasis.51

10. CCJRC recommends the City and County

o Denver conduct a review o municipal

ordinances and departmental hiring policies

and practices, both ormal and inormal,

regarding the employment o people with acriminal conviction.

Oneofthemostglaringndingsinthis

surveywasthehighrateofunemployment

andunderemploymentofhomelessparolees.

Withoutaccesstogainfulandlivingwage

employment,thelikelihoodthatsomeonewillbe

abletosucceedonparoleorndpermanentsafe

housingisslim.

Researchisconclusivethatstableand

meaningfulemploymentiscriticaltorecidivismreduction52andthatoneofthemostimportant

conditionsthatleadstolessoffendingisastrong

tietomeaningfulemployment.53

Consequently,theCommissionrecommendeda

reviewofstatestatutes,rules,regulations,and

policiesthatcreateabarriertoemploymentor

professionallicensingforpeoplewithacriminal

conviction.54Thisreviewwillhelppolicymakers

assesswhetherthereareunnecessary

employmentbarriersforpeoplewithacriminal

convictionduetostatelaws,regulations,or

departmentalhiringpoliciesandpractices.

Thistypeofreviewisequallynecessaryatthelo-callevel.CCJRC recommends the City and County

o Denver conduct a review o municipal ordinances

and departmental hiring policies and practices, both

ormal and inormal, regarding the employment o

people with a criminal conviction.

11. CCJRC recommends the state earmark addi-

tional unds to provide vouchers or other orms

o fnancial assistance to indigent parolees or

re-entry related expenses, including classes and

treatment ordered as a condition o parole. Thistype o assistance is particularly important dur-

ing the frst ew months ollowing release.

In2008,theCommissiononCriminal

andJuvenileJusticemadeanumberof

recommendationsaroundtheneedtosubsidize

someofthemandatedparoleexpenses.One

recommendationsuggestedavoucherplanto

assisttheoffenderinaccessingimmediate

services,includinghousing,medication(for

example,insulin),mentalhealthservices,addictiontreatment,andrelatedprograms

basedonapre-releaseneedsassessment.55

TheCommissionalsonotedthatthe$100in

releasefundshadnotincreasedsince1972and

recommendedanincreaseingatemoneyfor

rst-timeparoleesuponrelease.56

24

50ColoradoCommissiononCriminalandJuvenileJustice2008AnnualReport. December 2008. Page 35.Available online at http://cdpsweb.state.co.us/cccjj/2008recommendations.html.

51 The example o criteria is rom The Constitution Project. Accessed online athttp://www.2009transition.org/criminaljustice/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=122.

52ColoradoCommissiononCriminalandJuvenileJustice2008AnnualReport. December 2008. Page 49.Available online at http://cdpsweb.state.c

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