As Colorado struggles to lower one of the highest return-to-prison rates in the nation, parole officers are stuck balancing second chances against punishment for parolees who misbehave.
Documents obtained by The Denver Post reveal the state's parole division two years ago adopted new policies aimed at keeping troubled parolees out of prison and on the streets whenever possible.
But the shift has been plagued by inadequate training and a lack of resources, corrections officials now say. Law enforcement and parole officers question the new direction, fearing the public's safety is at risk.
Parolees are "getting so bold because of the direction the whole division is going in," said Ryan Burch, who supervises sex offenders out of the Englewood parole office. "We're losing the parolees' fear that prevents them from violating their parole."
Two years ago, Greeley police Chief Jerry Garner complained to corrections officials that his community faced a surge of dangerous parolees on the street.
"These people are dangerous to my citizens," Garner recently told The Post, noting his complaints went unheeded. "They are dangerous to my police officers."
Even committing theft doesn't necessarily get a parolee sent back to prison in Colorado. Neither does missing drug tests or having a machete.
Ernest Schmidt did all of those things. Schmidt, who had a history of burglary, theft and methamphetamine use, remained on parole until he killed. Labeled a likely "career criminal" by a prison case manager, Schmidt had been free on parole since Jan. 18, 2011. ..continued.. by Christopher N. Osher, Jennifer Brown and Karen E. Crummy
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