DENVER (KDVR) — The Weld County Sheriff’s Office, alongside 16 other sheriffs in Colorado, wrote to Gov. Jared Polis calling for a resolution to the Colorado Department of Corrections’ inmate transfer backlog.
The 17 sheriffs sent a joint letter to Polis on July 10, telling the governor that the ongoing inmate transfer backlog and inadequate per diem reimbursement rate for DOC-sentenced inmates “are placing an unsustainable burden on our jail operations and local taxpayers.”
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The sheriffs accused the DOC of failing to assume custody of sentenced individuals “in a timely manner,” creating backlogs in county jails. The sheriffs also pointed to the delays of court-ordered mental health evaluations and transfers to the state hospital, which is also adding to resource strain and overcrowding.
“County jails were never intended — nor funded — to house state inmates for prolonged periods,” the letter to Polis states. “Yet, across Colorado, counties are being forced to expand housing capacity and increase staffing simply to keep up with the rising number of inmates who should already be in state custody.”…