The bill creates the Colorado jail standards commission (commission) in the department of public safety. The commission creates standards for the operation of Colorado's county jails (jails) and updates the standards as necessary. The commission consists of the following 20 members: • 5 sheriffs or senior jail administrators;
• 2 county commissioners; • 3 people with lived experience of being incarcerated or having a family member who is or was incarcerated in a jail; • One mental health professional with experience working in a jail; • One health professional with experience working in a jail; • One person representing a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer advocacy organization; • One person representing an organization advocating for the rights of people with disabilities; • One person representing an organization advocating for the rights of communities of color; • One person representing an organization advocating for the rights of persons with mental or physical disabilities; • One non-law-enforcement person with experience working in a jail, appointed by the executive director of the department of public safety; • The state public defender or the state public defender's designee; • One district attorney, appointed by the Colorado district attorneys' council; and • One person representing the department of public safety with expertise in jail operations. The commission shall develop standards for all aspects of jail operations as follows: • Reception and release; • Classification of inmates; • Security; • Housing; • Sanitation and environmental conditions; • Communication; • Visitation; • Health care, mental and behavioral health care, and dental care; • Food service; • Recreation and programming; • Inmate disciplinary processes; • Restrictive housing; • Inmate grievances; • Staffing; and • Inmates' prerogatives. The commission shall establish standards regarding oversight of the standards; compliance with the standards, including a requirement for a biennial compliance inspection of each jail; a complaint process and investigation process; and possible sanctions for noncompliance with or violations of the standards. The department of public safety shall promulgate rules adopting the standards and possible sanctions. The department of public safety shall provide oversight of the implementation of the standards. The commission shall evaluate the effectiveness of the standards after implementation and make any needed changes to the standards. The bill sunsets the commission on September 1, 2029.
