Podcast Summary: Colorado Matters – March 23, 2026

Episode Title: Colorado's prisons are nearly full but is more space the solution?; 'Prison Journalism Project'
Hosts: Ryan Warner & Chandra Thomas Whitfield
Main Theme:
The episode investigates Colorado’s prison overcrowding crisis—why it's happening, the systemic impacts, and heated policy debates on how (or whether) to expand prison capacity. The second half spotlights the Prison Journalism Project and its collaboration with Pueblo’s nonprofit Star Journal, offering incarcerated individuals a platform for storytelling.

Prisons at Breaking Point: Overcrowding and Its Causes

Overview and Context

• Colorado's prisons are nearly at capacity: Overcrowding affects not just inmates and staff but also local jails and the broader justice system.
• Legislative gridlock: Lawmakers are debating costly solutions like building more prisons amid a severe state budget shortfall.

Key Discussion Points

Experiencing Overcrowding First-Hand

• [01:33] Bente Birkland: Overcrowding leads to intolerable living conditions: "When the state has too many people in its prisons, difficult living conditions can quickly become intolerable.”
• [01:42] David Carrillo (former inmate): “You have individuals who are forced into cells that are designed for maybe one person. Now you have two people in that cell. ... It continues to put stress on the resources that are available, and these resources include space and accessibility, to hygiene issues, to communication with the outside world.”
• Carrillo notes the impact on rehabilitation, with classes canceled and students unable to attend.

Overcrowding Effects Extend Beyond Prisons

• [03:25] Kyle McKinnon: Overflow of inmates strains county jails, which were not designed for long-term incarceration.

Data Points and Official Concerns

• Prisons running at 97% capacity since last summer (2025): Target is 75-80% to run safely.
• 159 funded available beds in a system with 16,000 male inmates ([06:04] Moses Andre Stancil).
• Lawmakers and DOC officials express safety and staffing concerns.
• [05:27] Mark Fairburn, State Director of Prisons: “Anytime you’re gonna put more people than what’s supposed to be in a cell, it causes additional tension.”

Why Is Overcrowding Happening Now?

• Main reason: Fewer people are being released on parole, not more are being sentenced.
  • [07:16] Kyle McKinnon: “It’s not because more people are going into prison. It’s that fewer people are coming out.”
• Staffing shortages: Insufficient program/class availability holds up parole eligibility.
  • [08:29] Sgt. James Carr: “We don’t have enough correctional officers. ... Inmates don’t get the program support they need. Inmates lose hope and violence spikes.”
  • [09:04] Sgt. Carr: Some inmates fear release due to incomplete preparation: “They don't feel like they're ready to go out on the outside world, and they're actually scared to do so.”

Systemic Flaws in Parole Assessments

• [10:30] Faulty risk assessments: Incorrectly classified high-risk parolees as low-risk 98% of the time.
  • [11:01] Rep. Matt Soper: “It’s caused us as the legislature to not trust the process. ... You can't release anyone because you don't trust where the risk assessment was.”
• Technical parole violations leading to returns: Even minor infractions can result in reincarceration ([10:01]).

Policy Responses and Legislative Frustrations

• 2018 legislation to coordinate responses when prisons exceed 97% capacity has not had the intended effect.
  • [13:35] Sen. Mike Weissman: “That mechanism is, frankly, too narrow, too tight... It’s provided a minimal amount of relief.”

Short-term Stopgaps and County Jail Backlogs

• Overflow inmates are now held in county jails awaiting transfer.
  • [15:15] Sheriff Steve Reams: "We're holding sometimes between 30 and 50 inmates in my facility that are sentenced to the Department of Corrections and should be in the Department of Corrections.”

Policy Stalemate: Expand Capacity or Reform the System?

State Budget Tensions and Lawmaker Perspectives

Legislative Funding Drama

• DOC’s request for funding additional beds was initially denied, then tentatively approved, showing political unease ([18:39]–[22:03]).
  • [19:01] Rep. Emily Sirota: “I want to know what it is the administration is going to do ... beyond just continued requests for more beds, building more prisons and spending more money.”
  • [19:31] Sen. Judy Amabile: “If people don't have access to these things that they need in order to be parole eligible, then I don't understand why we're not asking for money to get more treatment providers in there.”
  • [20:42] Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer: “The issue is not going away just because you don’t want to fund it.”
• State audit highlights DOC’s lack of strategic planning ([21:02]).

Bigger Solutions—or Band-Aids?

• DOC is pushing reopening or building more prisons ([25:15]).
• [26:28] Sen. Judy Amabile: “I feel like it would be an obscene misuse of public funds to buy and build out a prison when we have hundreds of people waiting in our jails to get to a hospital…”
• Lawmakers must weigh DOC’s needs against competing demands like health care, education, and transportation ([27:12]–[27:34]).

Deeper Societal Questions

• [28:09] Kyle McKinnon: Debate reflects the “ebb and flow” of tough-on-crime vs. reform, with fears of appearing “soft on crime” persisting.
• [28:49] Kyle Giddings, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition: “Just locking up people isn’t actually a serious response to individuals who are struggling with addiction or ... maintain their jobs. ... That’s not serious. I wouldn’t even say it’s being tough. That’s being irresponsible.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [05:27] Mark Fairburn: “They could not get out of their bed. ... They’re sleeping right next to the combo unit, which is the toilet, sink combo. What it also causes is tension, tension inside a cell.”
• [19:31] Sen. Judy Amabile: “If people don't have access to these things ... I was at Lyman the other day and I did hear people say, well, I need this thing ... I was denied. ... And so that's a real frustration, I think, for me and for others.”
• [22:44] Justin Bracke, JBC staff: “…the JBC, in my view, has been carrying a lot of water in this ... I think at this point, ... the JBC should just let things ... if that means letting things fail, then you let things fail.”

The Prison Journalism Project: Giving Incarcerated People a Voice

Project Background

• The prison journalism partnership gives voice to those inside Colorado prisons and offers unique perspectives.
• [31:26] Tavion Williams (via Gregory Howell’s reading): “For 13 years, I lived in concrete giants... institutions where hope felt like contraband...”

Editorial Process and Community Impact

• Publishing essays requires collaboration and established relationships within prison facilities ([39:48] Gregory Howell).
• Proximity to “Prison Valley” in Cañon City, with 11 correctional facilities, shapes the community and coverage.
• Payment to incarcerated authors is seen as both fair compensation and workforce development ([42:41]).

Insights from Tavion Williams

• [33:34] Williams (own voice): Praises the “Beacon at Skyline” program for providing hope and rehabilitation—including time in nature and real educational opportunities.
• Williams reflects on identity, emotional regulation, and his growth as a writer:
  • “There’s some exceptional men behind these walls. ... All these fallen stars, endless potential. We’ve done wrong... but I’m a huge advocate for the guys inside having a voice, because if they don't say it, who else is going to say it?”

Changing the Narrative

• The project’s stories reveal a more human, restorative lens, challenging stereotypes from shows like “Orange is the New Black” or “Oz” ([42:21]).

Community Journalism & Local Impact: The Pueblo Star Journal

Sustaining Local Journalism

• Pueblo Star Journal celebrates five years as a nonprofit local news source ([43:05]).
• Unique coverage—such as the Da Vinci Museum investigation—illustrates their bold approach.
• They highlight local crises, such as challenges with a new county jail and a childcare shortage ([46:56]).

Commitment to Independent and Culturally-Embedded Reporting

• The newsroom operates in a “news desert,” providing essential, locally relevant stories.
• Community ties (“the one degree of separation”) foster accountability and fresh ideas.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Experiencing prison overcrowding | 01:33–03:11 | | Capacity and policy challenges | 04:11–06:38 | | Flaws in parole and risk assessment | 07:07–11:47 | | Legislative/policy responses and audit findings | 12:21–22:44 | | DOC/Lawmaker frustrations & planning | 22:44–25:15 | | Push for new prisons & budget debate | 25:15–27:34 | | Societal views on crime and reform | 28:09–29:49 | | Prison Journalism Project segment begins | 31:26 | | Tavion Williams' perspective | 33:34–37:34 | | Editorial process at Star Journal | 39:07–44:20 | | Innovations and local stories at Star Journal | 44:20–47:35 | | Childcare crisis coverage in Pueblo | 46:48–47:35 |

Conclusion

This episode of Colorado Matters captures the intertwined crises of prison overcrowding, structural hurdles to parole, staff shortages, and fiscal dilemmas facing Colorado. It highlights the human side of incarceration through the Prison Journalism Project, while showcasing the value of independent, community-rooted journalism in Pueblo and across Colorado. The debate over “building more beds” versus pursuing deeper reform continues—and the stories of those living within the system may be essential to finding solutions.