Colorado Department of Corrections

This document details the Colorado Department of Corrections' strategic direction through its Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) for the period spanning FY 2024-25 to June 30, 2027. The plan prioritizes achieving a 12% staff vacancy rate by enhancing recruitment and retention, decreasing parolee recidivism by 5% through comprehensive re-entry programs and support, and increasing successful parole completion rates to 59% by strengthening peer mentorship and refining parole policies.

The Alternative Metrics Working Group convened to discuss operationalizing metrics related to societal factors. The meeting included a review of a proposed visual and table structure for organizing individual, environmental, and system factors. The group emphasized the importance of operationalizing concepts into measurable variables at different levels and involving individuals with lived experience. They explored methods for measuring factors such as employment and income, discussed data collection limitations, and the need to set realistic timelines for implementing new measures. Action items were assigned to members, including developing a scoring system for evaluating concepts and ensuring public involvement in the working group.

The Alternative Metrics Working Group convened to discuss data for measuring program effectiveness, focusing on the feasibility of capturing alternative metrics using data from various sources, including the YASI, case planning documentation, electronic health records (EHR), and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). The group addressed challenges in capturing subjective measures and discussed the need for recommendations on implementation planning, SME involvement in creating timelines, and prioritizing metrics based on feasibility and availability. They also planned to invite individuals with lived experience to the next meeting to gather additional insights.

The Alternative Metrics Working Group convened to discuss the mission and objectives of the group. Individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system shared their stories, perspectives on successful reentry, and feedback on what would have been helpful in their reentry. Key challenges identified were lack of technology assistance, financial burdens in parole, stigma from employers, administrative barriers, and housing challenges. Success factors included family support, positive relationships, trust and support from supervising officers and case managers, self-efficacy, and lifestyle changes. The group also discussed system challenges, the impact of the Seven Habits Program, recommendations for system improvement, short-term sentence challenges, signaling and desistance measurement, data collection and survey methodology, working group timeline and deliverables, and mandates.

The Alternative Metrics Working Group convened to discuss data related to alternative outcome metrics. Representatives discussed data feasibility, including the utilization of working alliance inventories, risk and needs assessment instruments, and case planning data. The group addressed behavioral health metrics, wait times, housing, vocational data, supervision completion, and returns data. They also discussed perceptions and quality measurement, DOC data systems and limitations, and community corrections data gaps. Action items were established for refining data metrics and preparing for future meetings.