Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC)

It also advocates for decreasing sentences for violent felonies, decriminalizing drug-related crimes, the replacement of police with social workers in crime prevention, providing expanded counseling services to criminals and their victims, and the establishment of universal government-provided health care, among other left-of-center policies.

Founding and History

Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) was founded in 1999, originally under the name “Colorado Prison Moratorium Coalition,” to support a bill which would halt development of prisons statewide. The bill failed to pass the Colorado legislature both in 1999 and 2000. The group rebranded as the CCJRC in 2002 and received nonprofit status the following year. It had previously been operated by the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and Epimethian Press, a left-leaning think tank and education fund. ¹

CCJRC successfully lobbied for a 2002 bill which restricted asset forfeiture, and in 2003 similarly ensured the passage of a bill to alter the parole process while unsuccessfully suing the state to stop the construction of a new state prison. CCJRC went on to lobby against the development of private penitentiary institutions while working to defund existing prisons. ¹

When the Colorado legislature established the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice in 2007, CCJRC was given spots in several subcommittees. Executive director Christine Donner, who previously held a position on the legislative subcommittee, holds a position on the sentencing reform task force.  ² The commission can recommend legislation to the state legislature. ¹

In 2020, CCJRC was involved in the passage of a bill which decreased penalties for prisoners who escaped halfway houses and restricted the ability of other states to transfer prisoners to Colorado prisons in exchange for authorizing the reopening of a state prison. ³ Donner called the bill a compromise, saying “We’re pleased with the components — the right balance was struck. We don’t love the whole thing, but that’s the intention of bargains.” ³

That same year, CCJRC established a branch organization called CCJRC4Action to be electorally active, publishing voter guides and hosting candidate forums. ⁴ CCJRC4Action endorsed Democratic nominees Alexis King and Amy Padden for district attorney of the 1^st and 18^th Judicial Districts, respectively. ⁵

In 2022, CCJRC received a grant of $500,000 from the Public Welfare Foundation. ⁶

Lobbying and Activism

Although Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition was formed to campaign against prisons, it has expanded to a variety of issues relating to criminal law. CCJRC advocates for increased spending for the use of social workers rather than police for crime prevention, as well as providing counseling services to victims and released prisoners. It frames this advocacy in explicitly racial terms, focusing efforts on “communities of color” which are statistically more likely to both perpetrate and be victims of crime. ⁷

CCJRC also advocates for decreasing sentences for violent felonies, decriminalization of drug-related crimes, and for increased government-provided health care. ⁷