ORS: Dashboard-Jails & Corrections Home
Jail Data Community Corrections Corrections Data Prison Population Projections Recidivism
The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) collects and reports data regarding jail populations and practices. Button links to interactive displays and information are provided below. The data and information provided in each dashboard is defined by the "Statutory Mandates" listed below. "Data Quality Notes" describes interpretation guidance related to data that is missing from jail reports. The data underlying the Jail Population dashboard and the Restrictive Housing dashboard are available for download below in "Related Data Files."
To submit a quarterly Jail Population Data report or Restrictive Housing report, see Data Submission: Jail Data
To submit Jail Bond Compliance materials, see Data Submission: Jail Bonding Compliance
- Statutory Mandates
Jail Population Reporting Mandates
Pursuant to 24-33.5-518 (4.5), C.R.S. and related section 17-26-118, C.R.S. (see also, House Bill 2019-1297, enacted May 31, 2019), county jails are required to collect information covering 3 time periods and report this information to the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) on a quarterly basis. [Jail Population Data]Subsequently, section 17-26-118, C.R.S. (see also, House Bill 2021-1211, enacted on June 24, 2021), was expanded to include data reporting requirements for jails of 400 beds or larger in two ways:
- First, these larger jails must include data on the number of inmates currently in custody with substance use disorder, mental illness, co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness, neurocognitive issues (TBI & dementia), and self-harming behavior. [Jail Population Data]
- Second, these larger jails data must report data on everyone who was released from restrictive housing in the past quarter. [Jail Population: Restrictive Housing Data]
Additionally, section 17-26-118, C.R.S. (see also, Senate Bill 2022-196, enacted on October 1, 2022), was expanded to include data reporting requirements regarding Medicaid status on inmates whose Medicaid was suspended while incarcerated, and the number of inmates who were enrolled, or whose Medicaid was reinstated prior to release. [Jail Population Data]
Jail Bond Compliance Reporting Mandate
Pursuant to 24-33.5-503 (bb), C.R.S. (and 16-4-102 (2) (j) (III)), C.R.S.) (see also House Bill 2021-1280, enacted on July 6, 2021), Sheriff's offices are required to submit materials related to bond policies and notices. [Jail Bonding Data]- Data Notes & Reporting Periods
DATA NOTES
Jail Population Data & Reporting Periods
- Only those counties that operate a jail report data. The following counties do not operate a jail facility and therefore do not report jail data: Cheyenne, Custer, Dolores, Hinsdale, Kiowa, Lake, Mineral, Ouray, Phillips, Rio Blanco, Saguache, San Juan, Sedgwick, and Yuma.
- Only counties that have submitted data to DCJ will appear on the Jail Data Dashboard. Not all counties report all required data elements. Counties can provide explanations for elements that they did not report. These explanations appear as "Agency Notes" on the dashboard.
- When obvious errors are made in the data submitted, counties are contacted and offered the opportunity to correct the submission. This process is ongoing, so the data presented are dynamic and subject to change. Ultimately, however, the dashboard reflects the data submitted by each agency.
- The "Statewide" numbers include all data reported by agencies that submitted information.The three time periods in each quarterly Jail Population report:
• The prior quarter
• The prior 365 days
• "Snapshot" on the first day of the quarterSee the list of Jail Data Definitions for each of the measures included in the three time periods above.
Restrictive Housing Data
- Only jails with a bed capacity of 400 or more are required to to submit quarterly reports on restrictive housing, which currently only includes the following: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Pueblo, and Weld counties.
- Only counties that have submitted data to DCJ will appear on the Restrictive Housing Dashboard. If no data was reported, the dashboard for that county will be empty.
- Some of the counties with 400 beds no longer use restrictive housing or their use does not meet the statutory definition that requires reporting. In these instances the dashboards for such counties will be empty.See the list of Jail Data Definitions for the information included in the Restrictive Housing quarterly reports.
- Related Data Files
The definitions and description of the data included in the following two .csv (data) files are provided in Jail Data Definitions.
- Colorado "Jail Population" data in .csv format.
- Colorado "Restrictive Housing" data in .csv format.Relatedly, the Bureau of Justice Statistics publishes annual and mid-year reports of its survey of jails across the country in a Jail Inmates Series. These reports include "the number of persons held in local jails, jail incarceration rates, inmate demographics, conviction status and most serious offense, number of admissions to jail, jail capacity, inmate turnover rates, and staff employed in local jails."