FY23 CCRITP - Colorado DOC

The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) Training Academy and Parole Division proposes to plan for, develop, and implement a training program for correctional and parole officers based on BJA’s CRIT curriculum and implement an interactive training simulator. The purpose is to ensure that CDOC correctional and parole officers have the proper training and knowledge to deliver appropriate responses during interactions with individuals in crisis, including individuals with behavioral health disorders, substance use disorders, and disabilities. Project activities include developing and implementing evidence-based crisis intervention training utilizing CRIT curriculum; training all CDOC correctional officers and parole officers with the new curriculum; developing annual refresher training; developing and integrating crisis intervention into CDOC supervision and succession training and; purchasing an Interactive Crisis Intervention, De-Escalation, and Use of Force Training Simulator to allow for ongoing scenario-based practice and feedback of officer responses to simulations. Expected outcomes include a reduction in the number of use-of-force incidents for both parole and correctional officers; improved officer, inmate, and parolee safety; and long-term outcome measures that include increased knowledge, skills, improved responses, and safer encounters. 

The service area for the proposed project is the entire state of Colorado, specifically nineteen correctional facilities located in ten Colorado counties and nineteen parole offices located in four regions in Colorado.  The target population of this project includes 16,992 inmates, 2,045 correctional officers, 9,396 parolees, and 250 parole officers. In correctional facilities, 71.3% of the population have a substance use disorder, 79% have an identified mental health disorder, 2% have an intellectual or developmental disability, and 52.5% have a medical need. 35% of the parolee population have an identified mental health disorder.  CDOC correctional facilities saw a slight decrease in use of force incidents from last year and parole saw a 33% increase in use of force/critical incidents. Any use of force or critical incident puts staff, parolees, and offenders at risk of injury or death and creates significant liabilities for the CDOC. To ensure that these incidents are reduced, staff must be trained to deliver appropriate responses during interactions with individuals in crisis. A grant of $250,000 from BJA would allow the Colorado Department of Corrections to provide this critical training.

The Colorado Department of Corrections has not previously received federal funding to implement crisis intervention training.