Good things happen at Larimer County Community Justice Alternatives

Our Board of Larimer County Commissioners is often asked about criminal justice reform. As the commissioner liaison to the Community Corrections Board, I want to share the positive outcomes at Larimer County’s Community Justice Alternatives (CJA).

CJA has an important role in our local criminal justice system. It encompasses several programs as a sentencing/supervision option for the courts, instead of jail or prison. These programs include Pretrial Services, Community Service, Electronic Home Detention, Work Release, Midweeks and Workenders. They also include Larimer County Community Corrections, which in the past has been referred to as the halfway house.

These programs not only reduce recidivism and save the county money, but they keep people out of jail and prison and get them the help they need to be successful in our community. They provide an alternative to traditional incarceration for lower-risk individuals who benefit from treatment and supportive services. And with the addition of our new women’s facility, we can now serve more than 680 clients — an increase of 170 people since 2022.

The county saves money by having people serve sentences in CJA instead of jail or prison. The cost of a jail bed is over $175 per day, but Community Corrections and Work Release are closer to $100 while Pretrial is much lower, only about $5 per day. These alternatives saved Larimer County more than $11 million last year.

Individuals can stay in a residential setting, but staff manage their access to work and time in the community, allowing clients to maintain their jobs, provide for their dependents, and pay restitution. Similarly, Workenders and Midweeks allow clients to serve time in two-day intervals. Client work crews in this program logged close to 18,000 labor hours for 36 nonprofits in Larimer County. Clients in these Alternative Sentencing Department (ASD) programs have access to referrals for housing and employment. They can also get Medication-assisted Treatment to help with sobriety and other treatments that aid in substance use disorders. Last year, more than 80% of ADS clients completed their program, and most now have stable employment in the community.

Community Corrections provides a community-based placement option, instead of prison, for people with felony convictions. Clients undergo a rigorous pre-placement assessment before entering this program that looks at their criminal history, living situation, ties to Larimer County, mental health and drug history, and readiness to change among other factors.

Clients in Community Corrections also live there for an average of nine months, during which time they access treatment and receive help with employment and housing. Treatment programs include Strategic Individualized Remediation Treatment (STIRT), which provides a 21-day intensive residential program combined with six months of aftercare services tailored to men or women with drug or alcohol dependence and legal issues. Another program, Residential Dual Diagnosis Treatment (RDDT) is intended for individuals with serious substance abuse problems, chronic mental illness and a history of felony criminal conduct. Our Community Corrections programs have higher success rates than most counties, with almost 72% of men and women completing their treatment programs.

Beyond the numbers, we’re proud of the work being done in Community Justice Alternatives. The programs offered by CJA change lives, help people reintegrate into our community, and make our communities safer. The people who work in CJA are committed to helping people get the support and treatment they need to get better. They not only offer an alternative to jail or prison, but they also offer hope.

Kristin Stephens is a Larimer County commissioner representing all of Larimer County.