By JFA Institute

The Colorado Justice Data Landscape Report is provided as a service to the public and to policy makers interested in Colorado’s adult criminal and youth justice systems. This report is a compilation of existing information available on criminal justice systems that should be seen as a summary and a benchmark for future data metrics. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or single-use resource. The report also provides an overview of Colorado’s adult and juvenile justice legislation from 2013 to present. Direct links to how this legislation may have quantitatively affected the criminal justice system cannot be made from this analysis. This report is first an almanac of key criminal justice system indicators but can serve as a means to highlight areas where more in-depth research can be done to expand understanding on how demographics, socio-economic factors, and racial inequities can influence an individual’s involvement in the Colorado justice system. Criminal justice systems are often complex and influenced by many factors. It is impossible to attribute a single cause or condition to “explain” what may cause crime, individual behaviors, or emerging trends that cause harm or jeopardize public safety. The best we can hope for is to use historical data and provide context to explain trends and better inform policy makers. Government policy should be based on informed decision making and this report is designed as a visual summative reference document of tables, charts, and narrative to offer highlights into criminal justice trends in Colorado. The most up to date trend data on state demographic, socio-economic factors, crime, arrests, court processes, incarceration, and community supervision are provided by age, race/ethnicity, gender, and region, where available. This report attempts to use “person first” language where possible and will generally use this language unless directly referring to, citing or quoting data sources. Words that encompass and define multiple groups of individuals and situations, like homeless or absconder, remain unchanged.

The presentation of data in this report shows Colorado as a State that has been greatly impacted by high levels of overall population growth over the past twenty years. According to U.S. Census data, Colorado’s overall population grew every year in the last decade making it the 6th fastest growing state in the US since 20101 . During that time, the population became less White with People of Color making up almost 35 percent of the state population by 2022. While this percentage is still well below the comparable US percentage, it marks a sizeable shift in Colorado demographics. Total population growth was concentrated in but not limited to urban areas. While the resident population grew, Colorado also experienced positive metrics of prosperity as the unhoused population and unemployment declined universally prior to 2020. After implementation of COVID-19 societal restrictions in 2020, Colorado saw a sharp increase in unemployment to over two and half times that of pre-COVID levels, followed by a quick rebound two years later. The unhoused population has been a recent issue in Colorado’s Denver capital area since COVID, gaining both political and media attention. Incidents of homelessness in the metro Denver area have increased almost 30 percent since 2019. The number of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout the rest of the state, however, followed a different trend, declining slightly from 2020 to 2022. Like national trends, crime rates in Colorado have been on a long-term trajectory of decreasing. Because of Colorado’s rapidly growing population, it is necessary to examine crime as a rate standardized against the size of the state population. Beginning in 2021, Colorado experienced a sharp rebounding increase in both violent and property crime rates, although the increases were pocketed to certain crimes in each category. Total increases in the violent crime rate were fueled by an increase in aggravated assaults while increases in the total property crime rate were fueled by a spike in thefts of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts. Court filings, felony case resolutions, and sentence dispositions have remained stable in recent years, with declines in 2020 due to COVID-19 court shutdowns. Directly related to the slowing of case processing by courts and decreased law enforcement activity, newly sentenced prison admissions and jail bookings both saw a downward trajectory. Like US trends, all Colorado adult incarcerated and supervised populations were greatly impacted. As the pandemic waned in recent years, these populations have begun to rebound but have yet to reach pre-CVOID levels. Colorado’s Youthful Offender System continues its long-term de-incarceration trend, housing less than one-quarter of the youths it did in 2005. This is the result of a historic movement in 1991 by the state to limit the use of the criminal justice system for youths. As Colorado and the nation move beyond the impacts of COVID 19, it is important to learn from both the non-intended impacts and the impacts of measures taken intentionally to address the pandemic on the criminal justice system to better inform future decision making.