"The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), pursuant to 24 33.5-503(m), C.R.S., is mandated to prepare correctional population projections for the Legislative Council and the General Assembly. Per statute, DCJ has prepared projections of these populations since the mid-1980s. This report presents forecasts for the Colorado adult prison and parole populations and for the Colorado juvenile commitment, detention and parole populations based on population trends as of December, 2016.
The adult prison and parole forecasts estimate the size of these populations across the upcoming seven years. Also included are estimates regarding average length of stay for future populations, which are used to calculate cost savings resulting from proposed legislation and policy changes. The juvenile commitment, detention and parole forecasts estimate the average daily populations over the upcoming five years."