§ 17-1-166 — Department duties - parole plan - report

(1) The department shall
develop a recommended parole plan for every inmate prior to a parole application
hearing or release from prison that includes, at a minimum, an approved sponsor or
other housing option and a continuity of care plan if the inmate has higher needs for
medical or behavioral health care. The department shall comply with this
subsection (1) regardless of whether the inmate can provide the department with
the name of a potential parole sponsor. If the department is unable to develop a
recommended parole plan, the department shall inform the parole board in writing
and include a list of options that have been explored but have been rejected by the
department.

(2) The department, in consultation with the state board of parole, shall
develop necessary policies and procedures regarding prerelease planning to ensure
that:

(a) Roles and responsibilities of employees and any contractors involved in
pre-release planning are clearly defined, employees and any contractors are
adequately trained, and performance measures are developed;

(b) Adequate tracking and quality assurance processes are in place so that a
recommended parole plan, whether an in-state or out-of-state plan, is completed
and submitted to the parole board prior to the initial and any subsequent parole
application hearing;

(c) Expedited protocols are in place so that an inmate's application for parole
is submitted to the parole board at the earliest possible opportunity if the inmate is
a new arrival at Denver reception and diagnostic center or the central transport unit
and is past or within ninety days of the inmate's parole eligibility date;

(d) Formal mechanisms are in place to facilitate effective communication
between the department and the parole board, including timely responses from the
department to parole board requests for additional information or for a revised
parole plan prior to the parole board's decision; and

(e) Data collection and data sharing between the department and the parole
board are adequate to actively monitor the status of parole applications when the
parole board has delayed its decision.

(3) The department shall provide a monthly report, by facility, the number of
parole applications when the parole board has delayed a decision, the average
length of time the parole application has been pending, and the general reason for
delaying the decision if that information is known to the department. The
information must be provided both for the reporting month and year to date.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2021: Entire section added, (SB 21-146), ch. 459, p. 3082, � 3, effective July 6.