Proposition 128 proposes amending the Colorado statutes to increase the amount of prison time a person convicted of certain violent crimes to serve at least 85% of their sentence in prison before they can become eligible for discretionary supervised parole or can begin to reduce their sentence for good behavior or progressing towards certain personal, professional or educational goals. People convicted of a third crime of violence are ineligible for parole.
IndivisibleNOCO is voting NO on Proposition 128.
Currently, a person convicted of these crimes is eligible for discretionary parole or receiving earned time after serving 75% of the sentence. Parole eligibility does not guarantee a person will be released; the State Board of Parole has final decision-making authority.
Proposition 128 is a citizen’s initiative put forth and funded by Suzanne Taheri and Michael Fields, who are among the state’s most extreme conservative political consultants and operatives. Michael Fields is the president of Advance Colorado Institute, a conservative organization promoting right-wing policies and putting forth conservative measures on the Colorado ballot year after year.
Proposition 128 favors retribution over rehabilitation. It would extend prison sentences of elderly people who have already served long sentences, have aged out of crime and who the State Parole Board considers safe for release. It will exacerbate the problem of overcrowded prisons, decreasing safety for prison guards and requiring additional staff when many prisons are already short-staffed and face hiring challenges.
IndivisibleNOCO wants perpetrators of crimes to serve their sentences. The damage done to victims cannot be undone. At the same time, we trust the State Parole Board to determine whether a person should be let out on parole and whether they deserve to benefit from rehabilitation opportunities offered in prison. Removing discretion from parole boards may lead to prisoners who are less incentivized to be rehabilitated while incarcerated and have fewer skills required to reintegrate into society upon release.
Proposition 128 would undermine Colorado’s current parole system and balloon the state prison budget of $1.2 billion for no benefit to society. Incarceration is expensive and costs taxpayers between $53 and $224 per day per prisoner. The Colorado Fiscal Institute estimates the State’s cost of Proposition 128 would be around $56 million per year plus up to $152 million in one-time construction costs. This figure does not include an additional $34 million in lost wages and taxes. Despite the increased costs to taxpayers, the increased incarceration time appears to be only two years for a 20-year court-ordered sentence. With TABOR constricting the ability of the state to retain tax revenues, Colorado simply cannot afford Proposition 128.