(Dec. 17, 2020) -- The Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) within the Colorado Department of Public Safety has released “Crime and Justice in Colorado: 2009-2019,” a report that compiles data from dozens of sources to provide a comprehensive portrait of crime and criminal justice in Colorado.
Members of DCJ’s Office of Research and Statistics gathered, analyzed, and presented data on a wide range of adult and juvenile criminal justice topics, including:
- Arrests and crime rates
- Crime reporting rates and case clearance rates
- Court case filings, prosecutions and outcomes
- Convictions and sentencing
- Probation, community corrections and the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC)
- Incarceration rates and prison population trends
- Juvenile diversion, adjudication, probation, detention and commitment
- Recidivism rates
- Substance use disorders and mental health.
Each of the sections includes demographic information about the individuals involved in the criminal justice system, where available. The report also includes a brief section discussing racial and ethnic disparities in Colorado’s criminal justice system.
The report compiles data published by the U.S. Department of Justice and various Colorado agencies including the Judicial Branch, Division of Youth Services, Department of Corrections, Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the DCJ Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance, the DCJ Office of Community Corrections, and the State Demography Office.
“We would like to thank the many researchers who contributed to this report. Without the data provided, analyzed, and published by criminal justice researchers across the state and nation, this report would not be possible,” said Kim English, Research Director of the Office of Research and Statistics.
“Complete data helps inform good decision making and good government, and transparency helps ensure accountability to the public we serve. I am proud of the work done by our Office of Research and Statistics to gather and present this information in a way that is comprehensive and accessible to the general public, elected government officials and criminal justice practitioners,” said DCJ Director Joe Thome.
The report can be downloaded here: https://ors.colorado.gov/ors-reports.