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The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) publishes research efforts categorized as special reports, impact analyses, trend summaries, and data briefs. These materials are generated by the staff of the ORS, but are not mandated in the Colorado Revised Statutes. Reports that are mandated by the C.R.S. can be found at the "Reports" button above.  

Special Reports

The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) produces special reports that examine the impact of public policies. The materials are in response to public policy implementation, stakeholder and public interests, by request of the Governor's Office, or, previously, at the request of the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (Sunset, September 1, 2023). The most recent special reports are listed first and years are displayed when reports were published.
 

Name	Keywords	Report Date	Document Link
2020			TOP
Public Safety-Related Data, First Six Months of 2020 (and Addendum)	Summary of preliminary trends Jan-Jun 2019 vs 2020 from public data sources Traffic safety and Denver County crimes Personal recognizance bonds and bond outcomes District court filings Prison population	August 2020	400 KB
2019			TOP
Initial Bond Set CY 2011 to 2018 (Follow-up to March 2018 "Bond Reform Impact Analysis: HB 2013-1236" below)	Felony and misdemeanor cases Initial bond for felony by judicial district and by county Initial bond for misdemeanor by judicial district and by county Initial bonds for traffic misdemeanor by judicial district and by county	December 2019	300 KB
Exploring the Increase in District Court Filings in Colorado, 2013-2018	Increase in district court felony filings Exploration of growth factors Calendar years 2013-2018 Statewide findings (see By-district findings below)	October 2019	1.1 MB
District Court Filings, 2013 through 2018, by Judicial District	Increase in district court felony filings Exploration of growth factors Calendar years 2013-2018 By-district findings (see statewide findings above)	September 2019	900 KB
Increase in Prison Admissions: FY 2013-2018, by Judicial District	Increase in prison admissions July 2012 to June 2018 By race, ethnicity and gender By judicial district	September 2019	1.1 MB
2018			TOP
A Study of Homelessness in Seven Colorado Jails	Homelessness in Colorado Jails Survey administered in Seven Colorado Jails Why non-native inmates moved to Colorado and why are they staying? Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Homelessness factors	June 2018	586 KB
Community Corrections in Colorado: Program Outcomes and Recidivism, Terminations January 2014-December 2016	Program outcomes and recidivism Halfway houses Diversion and transition Recidivism Residential and non-residential programs	April 2018 (Revised Aug. 2019)	1.3 MB
Bond Reform Impact Analysis - H.B. 2013-1236	Impacts of HB 2013-1236 (Pre-Trial Release from Custody) Cash/surety/property bonds vs. personal recognizance bonds Failure to appear rates Failure to appear rates in drug felony cases	March 2018	3.5 MB
Court Filings: CY 2017 Drug Charges DF1 to DF4	Drug felony cases during Calendar Year 2017 Drug charges by judicial district Drug charges by gender	February 2018	200 KB
Factors Influencing the Increase in the Colorado Prison Population: FY 2012-2017	Factors driving prison population growth Trends in arrests, filings, convictions, sentences, probation revocations Demographic characteristics Increase in female prison population	February 2018	700 KB
2016			TOP
Domestic Violence Case Processing in Colorado	Profile of Colorado Domestic Violence Cases, FY 2009-2014 Domestic Violence Offender Management Board Cases flagged with domestic violence offenses Exploratory study	April 2016	443 KB
2013			TOP
Community Corrections in Colorado: Program Outcomes and Recidivism, FY 2012-13	Community Corrections Program outcomes and recidivism FY 2012-13 halfway houses Diversion and Transition Recidivism Residential and non-residential programs	December 2013	1.1 MB
2011			TOP
John Echon Re-entry Program (JERP): Process Evaluation	Offenders with mental illness Program evaluation Re-entry Community corrections Funded by OJP/BJA grant, 2005-RE-CX-001	December 2011	789 KB
2010			TOP
White Paper from the Treatment Funding Working Group	Drug policy reform Substance abuse, dependence, and addiction Behavioral health Treatment availability, funding, and outcomes	December 2010	1.8 MB
Evaluation of the Colorado Short Term Intensive Residential Remediation Treatment (STIRRT) Programs	Short Term Intensive Residential Remediation Treatment (STIRRT) Substance abuse treatment Residential and outpatient component Recidivism rates	October 2010	600 KB
Recidivism Reduction Package Status Report: FY 2008- FY 2010	Recidivism reduction Crime Prevention Offender Diversion Package Division of Youth Corrections Division of Behavioral Health Division of Criminal Justice Department of Human Services Department of Corrections	July 2010	1.9 MB
Sexual Assault in Jails and Juvenile Facilities: Promising Practices for Prevention and Response - Final Report	Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Sexual assault in jails Sexual assault in juvenile facilities	June 2010	3.7 MB
Fiscal Year 2008 Community Corrections Program Terminations: Client Needs, Services and Outcomes	Community Corrections Client needs Services Terminations Recidivism	June 2010	1.2 MB
2008			TOP
The Status of Parole Returns to Prison in Colorado	Parole returns to prison in Colorado Parole failures	May 2008	213 KB
What Works: Effective Recidivism Reduction and Risk-Focused Prevention Programs	Compendium of evidence-based options for preventing new and persistent criminal behavior	February 2008	5 MB
2007			TOP
Evidence-Based Correctional Practices	What works in corrections Eight principles of evidence-based correctional practices	August 2007	117 KB
2006			TOP
Community Corrections in Colorado: A study of Program Outcomes and Recidivism, FY00-FY04	Financial Outcomes Successful Program Terminations Technical Violations, Escapes and New Crimes Who Succeeds In the Program Outcomes by Program Program Variation What's Linked to Program Success? Who Recidivates? Recidivism by Program and by Program Type	May 2006	530 KB
An Assessment of Four Substance Abuse Treatment Programs	Juvenile substance abuse treatment programs Adult substance abuse treatment programs Multi-Systemic Treatment Program What works for drug and alcohol treatment Colorado 2004 N-SSAT results Byrne funded substance abuse offender treatment programs	March 2006	209 KB
2005			TOP
Crime and Justice in Colorado 2004	Colorado demographics Adult and juvenile arrests by index crime Adult and juvenile arrest by county Adult and juvenile arrest, prosecution, and conviction demographics Adult and juvenile criminal placements Daily cost of adult and juvenile placements Prison, juvenile commitment, and parole population forecasts Mental illness in the criminal justice system Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Firearms and domestic violence Substance abuse arrests and treatment Victims of crime	March 2005	3.1 MB
2004			TOP
Report on Firearm Use Among Denver Arrestees in 2003 Presented to the Project Safe Neighborhood Task Force	Guns Gun arrests Gun violations Firearm possession among arrestees Threats and injuries from firearms	July 2004	308 KB
2003			TOP
Project Safe Neighborhoods America's Network Against Gun Violence: Firearm Data Presented to Project Safe Neighborhood Task Force	Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Guns Crime rates Homicide Trends Juvenile Firearm Use Prisoner and Arrestee Firearm Use Federal gun prosecutions Colorado's background and Instacheck system	September 2003	800 KB
Evaluation of Colorado's Prison Therapeutic Community for Sex Offenders	Therapeutic communities (TC) Sex offender treatment in a prison environment Sex offender treatment effectiveness Process evaluation Recidivism	July 2003	2.3 MB
2002			TOP
Community Corrections Study Report	Community Corrections/Half-way houses Special populations (females, sex offenders, mentally ill, and substance abusers) Offender profiles Level of Supervision Inventory (LSI ) Needs/risks Recidivism Recommendations	February 2002	428 KB
2001			TOP
Evaluation of the Denver Drug Court: The Early Years, 1995-1996	Drug courts Drug offenders Substance abuse treatment Offender profiles Cultural diversity Recidivism	November 2001	295 KB
2000			TOP
The Value of Polygraph Testing in Sex Offender Management. A Report Submitted to the National Institute of Justice	Sex offender post-conviction polygraphs Crossover Incest Sex offender treatment Polygraph research	December 2000	1.2 MB
Lessons Learned: Evaluating the Changes in Perception of Participants of Girls E.T.C. Workshops,1997	Female offenders Before and after method Evaluation of training	February 2000	584 KB
1999			TOP
Case Processing Evaluation of the Denver Drug Court	Drug courts Offender profiles Process evaluation	February 1999	228 KB
1996			TOP
Evaluation of the Reasoning and Rehabilitation Cognitive Skills Development Program as Implemented in Juvenile ISP in Colorado	Reasoning & Rehabilitation cognitive skills development program Juvenile ISP Experimental design Recidivism	August 1996	1.8 MB
Comparison of Intensive Supervision Probation and Community Corrections Clientele	Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP) Community Corrections Recidivism	May 1996	214 KB
How are Adult Felony Sex Offenders Managed on Probation and Parole?	Sex offenders Community management of sex offenders Probation Parole	January 1996	2.6 MB
Managing Adult Sex Offenders: A Containment Approach	Containment approach for sex offenders Offender profiles Model process How to evaluate your program Denial Prosecution of sex crimes Polygraph Sex offender treatment	January 1996	(External link)

 

Trends & Data Briefs

The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) produces trend and data briefs in response to current events, public policy trends, stakeholder and public interests, as well as, by request of the Governor's Office. The most recent special reports are listed first and years are displayed when reports were published.

Name (LINKS)	Keywords	Report Date	Document
2024			TOP
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design PDF- In Brief: CPTED HTML- In Brief: CPTED	Basic principles of CPTED Crime reduction impact Law enforcement strategies Additional CPTED information and resources	February 2024	700 KB

Research Archive

The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) provides archived work below by staff of the unit: the occasional newsletter, Elements of Change (1996 to 2012), Bulletin Series: Building Blocks for Institutional Safety, and published articles.

Elements of Change Newsletter

The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS), between 1996 and 2012, distributed an occasional newsletter, Elements of Change, that highlighted trends and issues in the criminal justice system such as alcohol and drug use, special correctional populations, crime prevention, sentencing patterns, and new laws. The content of Elements of Change serves as record of the historical work of the Research Unit during that period.

Elements of Change Editions

• May 2012 (vol 16/no 1) 1.31MB 
  Evidence-Based Practices Implementation for Capacity (EPIC)
   
• April 2010 (vol 14/no 1) 544KB 
  Why has prison growth slowed?
   
• May 2008 (vol 12/no 1) 374KB 
  Colorado Sex Offender Risk Scale (SORS): Nine-year follow-up
   
• September 2006 (vol 10/no 2) 318KB 
  Crisis Intervention Teams: A Community-Based Initiative
  Recipient of the 2007 Phillip Hoke National Publications Award for Excellence in the Research/Policy Analysis Category presented by The Justice Information Research Network (formerly, Justice Research & Statistics Association)
   
• July 2006 (vol 10/no 1) 288KB 
  FY04 Decline in successful Community Corrections completion rates.
   
• February 2005 (vol 9/no 1) 181KB 
  This special issue takes a look at a Colorado prison-based therapeutic community for sex offenders.
   
• July 2004 (vol 8/no 1) 208KB 
  This issue takes a look at institutional sex offenders and their risk out in the community.
   
• April 2003 (vol 7/no 2) 334KB 
  Significant findings from the Division of Criminal Justice Fall 2002 Adult Prison and Parole Population Projections and Juvenile Detention, Commitment, and Parole Population Projections.
   
• January 2003 (vol 7/no 1) 339KB 
  Special issue that looks at drug use in Denver, Colorado.
   
• August 2002 (vol 6/no 2) 139KB 
  Special issue looking at Community Corrections in Colorado.
   
• Jan/Apr 2001 (vol 6/no 1) 203KB 
  Significant findings from the Division of Criminal Justice Fall 2000 Adult Prison and Parole Population Projections and Juvenile Detention, Commitment, and Parole Population Projections.
   
• October 2000 (vol 5/no 4) 150KB
  Special issue looking at issues surrounding the polygraph (whether it is reliable, admissible, and ethical) and the polygraph's role as a containment tool for convicted sex offenders in the community.
   
• July 2000 (vol 5/no 3) 104KB 
  Significant findings from the Division of Criminal Justice Fall 1999 Juvenile Detention, Commitment, and Parole Population Projections.
   
• April 2000 (vol 5/no 2) 186KB 
  Significant findings from the Division of Criminal Justice Fall 1999 Adult Prison and Parole Population Projections.
   
• January 2000 (vol 5/no 1) 172KB 
  Special issue looking at the use of the polygraph and treatment with convicted adult sex offenders to reveal crossover in offending patterns.
   
• July 1999 (vol 4/no 3) 246KB
  • Drug charges vs. convictions.
  • Most serious offense charged, Denver metro vs. non-Denver Colorado.
  • Most serious drug offense charged, Denver metro vs. non-Denver Colorado.
  • Placement by most serious offense charged.
  • Behavior severity score by placement.
  • Five-year crime trends.
     
• April 1999 (vol 4/no 2) 81KB
  • Sex offender community notification.
  • American Indians and crime.
     
• January 1999 (vol 4/no 1) 93KB
  • Fall 1998 prison population projections.
  • Sexually violent predator risk assessment scale.
  • United States homicide rates (looking at gun involvement and age)
     
• October 1998 (vol 3/no 4) 99KB
  A special report from the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Research Project (a collaboration between the Piton Foundation and the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice). Profiles of alcohol and other drug use by youth in juvenile detention.
   
• July 1998 (vol 3/no 3) 89KB
  • Case processing evaluation of the Denver Drug Court.
  • New criminal justice legislation enacted by the 1998 Colorado General Assembly.
  • Who's high on what when committing a crime?
  • Drug use, age at onset.
     
• April 1998 (vol 3/no 2) 94KB
  • Fall 1997 prison population projections.
  • Sex offender issues (Sex Offender Management Board, the polygraph, and lifetime supervision).
  • Fraternity and sorority involvement in heavy drinking.
     
• October 1997 (vol 2/no 4) 88KB
  • A look at four proven prevention strategies.
  • The bottom line, cost-effectiveness of prevention.
  • Some local (Colorado) prevention options.
     
• July 1997 (vol 2/no 3) 86KB
  • Juvenile crime funnel (comparison of juvenile population, arrests, detainees, probations, and commitments).
  • A profile of juvenile detainees by school status, income, ethnicity, and family composition.
  • Most serious charge/top five charges for juvenile detainees.
  • Admission and population trends at Colorado juvenile secure detention facilities.
     
• April 1997 (vol 2/no 2) 1.41MB
  • Mandatory Parole.
  • Plea practices.
  • Juvenile detention and commitment population projections.
  • Most harmful drug substances.
     
• July 1996 (vol 1/no 2) 1.41MB
  • Juvenile detainees.
  • Crime funnel.
  • Plea practices.
  • Adult incarceration.
  • Internet workshop.
     
• April 1996 (vol 1/no 1) 1.52MK
  • Arrest rates.
  • Adult sex offender management.
  • Drug use trends.
  • Juvenile incarceration.
  • Employment and program outcome.

Building Blocks for Institutional Safety

"Building Blocks for Institutional Safety" was a bulletin series published between 2006 and 2007 supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. The series focused on prevention and intervention of offender-on-offender sexual assaults.

Name	Keywords	Report Date	Document Link
Bulletin Series: "Building Blocks for Institutional Safety"	Issues 5: A Bibliography of Resources Available from the National Institute of Corrections Information Center	October 2007	652 KB
Bulletin Series: "Building Blocks for Institutional Safety"	Issues 4: Using Data to Prevent Inmate Sexual Assault	October 2007	469KB
Bulletin Series: "Building Blocks for Institutional Safety"	Issues 3: Promising Practices to Prevent Inmate Sexual Assault	May 2007	568KB
Bulletin Series: "Building Blocks for Institutional Safety"	Issues 2: Promising Practices to Prevent Resident Sexual Assaults at Woodfield Cottage Secure Detention Facility	May 2007	456KB
Bulletin Series: "Building Blocks for Institutional Safety"	Issues 1: Responding to the Prison Rape Elimination Act	July 2006	408KB

Published Articles

The Office of Research and Statistics (ORS) has occasionally published articles related to the work conducted by staff of the unit. Articles are listed by most recent publication date.

Published Articles

Is Prison Sexual Offending Behavior Indicative of Community Risk?
Heil, P., Harrison, L., English K., & Alhmeyer, S. (2009). Is Prison Sexual Offending Behavior Indicative of Community Risk? Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36 (9), 892-908.

Sex offender Polygraph Testing in the United States: Trends and Controversies
Heil, P. & English, K. (2009). Sex offender polygraph testing in the United States: Trend and controversies. The use of the polygraph in assessing, treating, and supervision sex offenders: A practitioners guide (pp. 181-216). United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Prison Rape: What We Know Today
English, K. & Heil, P. (2005). Prison Rape: What We Know Today. Corrections Compendium, 30(5), 1-5 and 42-44.

The Containment Approach to Managing Sex Offenders (3)
(3) English, K. (2004). The containment approach to managing sex offenders. Seton Hall Law Review, 34, 1255-1272.

Sexual Offender Containment: Use of the Post Conviction Polygraph (8)
(8) English, K., Jones, L., Patrick, D., & Pasini-Hill, D. (2003). Sexual offender containment: Use of the post conviction polygraph. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

The Colorado Sex Offender Risk Scale (2)
(2) English, K. , Retzlaff, P., & Kleinsasser, D. (2002). The Colorado Sex Offender Risk Scale. Journal of Child Abuse, 11, 77-96.

The Impact of Polygraphy on Admissions of Victims and Offenders in Adult Sexual Offenders (5)
(5) Ahlmeyer, S., Heil, P., McKee, B., & English, K. (2000). The impact of polygraphy on admissions of victims and offenses in adult sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 12(2), 123-138.

The Value of the Post-Conviction Polygraph: The Importance of Sanctions (6)
(6) Cooley-Towell, S., Pasini-Hill, D., & Patrick, D. (2000). The value of the post-conviction polygraph: The importance of sanctions. Polygraph, 29(1), 6-19.

The Containment Approach: An Aggressive Strategy for the Community Management of Adult Sex Offenders (4)
(4) English, K. (1998). The containment approach: An aggressive strategy for the community management of adult sex offenders. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 4 (1/2), 218-235.

 

Other Important Resources

Krapohl, D.J., &, Gary, W.B. (2004). Exploration into the effects of race on polygraph scores and decisions. Polygraph, 33 (4), 234-239.

La Fond, J.Q., &, Winick, B.J. (2004). Sex offender reentry courts: A proposal for managing the risk of returning sex offenders to the community. Seton Hall Law Review, 34, 1173-1212.

Part I: pages 1173-1177
Part II: pages 1178-1182
Part III: pages 1183-1187
Part IV: pages 1188-1192
Part V: pages 1193-1197
Part VI: pages 1198-1202
Part VII: pages 1203-1207
Part VIII: pages 1208-1212

Stern, B.A., &, Krapohl, D.J. (2004). The efficacy of detecting deception in psychopaths using a polygraph. Polygraph, 33 (4), 201-213.

Part I: pages 201-207
Part II: pages 208-213

Grotpeter, J.K., &, Elliot, D.S. (2002). Violent sexual offending. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado, Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science.
Full Report