{"id":13035,"date":"2026-03-05T14:05:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T21:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-bill-would-make-sure-people-leaving-prison-would-get-100-id-documents\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:30:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:30:32","slug":"colorado-bill-would-make-sure-people-leaving-prison-would-get-100-id-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-bill-would-make-sure-people-leaving-prison-would-get-100-id-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado bill would make sure people leaving prison would get $100, ID documents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Colorado
Colorado state Rep. Jamie Jackson, an Aurora Democrat, listens to Majority Leader Monica Duran on the House floor, March 3 at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer\/Colorado Newsline)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Under a proposed Colorado law, people leaving prison would be entitled to identification documents and $100 in a release allowance, two benefits bill proponents say are not reliably distributed by the state despite existing in state statute.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to equip these people who are returning to our communities to have a fighting chance at success,\u201d said Rep. Jamie Jackson, an Aurora Democrat. \u201cWe have to uplift these people and give them the tools to be successful, so that there\u2019s no further victimization of our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson is sponsoring the bill alongside Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat.<\/p>\n

Current Colorado law states that the Department of Corrections may give a \u201creasonable sum of money not to exceed $100\u201d to people leaving custody and lays out some exceptions. House Bill 26-1256<\/a> would make the full allowance a requirement for the approximately 6,000 people who leave prison each year and prohibit any deductions from it, specifically related to restitution, clothing costs and any expenses incurred during the person\u2019s incarceration.<\/p>\n

The bill would also ensure people have transportation home after their release and require the Colorado Department of Corrections to assist people in obtaining the documents they need to get a state-issued identification card. If the person is being released into a metro-area with public transit, they would also be entitled to a transit pass for at least 30 days under the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t expect a justice-impacted person returning into society to rebuild their life without the tools \u2013 vital documents and a little bit of gate money for stability \u2013 to do that successfully,\u201d said John Dapice, an Aurora man who left Sterling Correctional Facility earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The bill would also require public disclosure each year online and to the Legislature during accountability hearings about how many people get gate money and how much they receive.<\/p>\n

Advocates say the first three days after a person\u2019s release are some of the most crucial to successful reentry and lowering chance of recidivism, and that gate money can be important for securing needs like food and shelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether or not someone can eat the next day often comes down to how much they have immediately upon release,\u201d said Simone Price, the director of organizing for the Center for Employment Opportunities, which is backing the bill. She said there is often confusion among people about why they have money deducted from their release allowance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there\u2019s been increasing scrutiny on how much we spend on incarceration, but frankly, this is probably the most bare minimum support that does exist,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery lawmaker we\u2019ve spoken with so far was very, very surprised that it was not codified and required for absolutely everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her organization has led similar legislative efforts in New York and California.<\/p>\n

\u2018Immediate stability\u2019<\/div>\n

A survey conducted last year by CEO found that two-thirds of Colorado respondents reported not getting any gate money when they left prison. Those who did receive money reported an average of $33 and listed deduction reasons such as small debts within the facility, court fees and prior negative account balances.<\/p>\n

Dapice said the ID and full $100 he received gave him \u201cimmediate stability\u201d and made him feel supported.<\/p>\n

\u201cStability after release from prison dramatically reduces panic-driven decisions that lead a lot of justice-impacted people, like myself, back into a negative lifestyle,\u201d he said. \u201cThis gives people \u2026 a real chance not to go back to the old ways \u2013 the drugs, the places, the people, the different negative behaviors that we may be drawn to because it\u2019s easier and convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dapice now lives with his parents in Aurora and plans to begin working toward his commercial driver\u2019s license with the support of CEO. He credits his successful transition out of prison to the organization\u2019s help and the immediate access to his documents and ID.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout an ID, we can\u2019t work, we can\u2019t rent, we can\u2019t bank, we really can\u2019t even get a phone\u201d he said adding later that \u201cnot having those documents would have been a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2024, the state\u2019s Department of Corrections reported <\/a>that about 74% of people left prison with a form of ID, such as a driver\u2019s license or state ID. By 2025, that number was about 99%. The governor\u2019s budget request<\/a> for the upcoming fiscal year includes an approximately $1 million line item for \u201cdress-out\u201d costs, which include gate money and transportation.<\/p>\n

The department is \u201ccurrently working with bill sponsors and the Executive Branch to evaluate proposed legislation against our current operational practices,\u201d spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder current department policy, individuals being discharged or paroled from a CDOC facility are eligible for a release allowance of $100.00. This \u2018monetary consideration for departure\u2019 is intended to assist with immediate needs during the initial reintegration window,\u201d she wrote. \u201cCDOC does not deduct any amount from the $100 allowance, although there are circumstances that may cause a person to be ineligible to receive this allowance.\u201d<\/p>\n

That includes people paroled from community corrections or the Intensive Supervision Program and those released to another felony charge.<\/p>\n

Nonpartisan state staff have yet to issue an analysis of the bill\u2019s fiscal impact. The bill is set for its first committee hearing March 18.<\/p>\n

To read more stories from Colorado Newsline, visit www.coloradonewsline.com<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reentry resources meant to ensure successful return to society<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[394,28,533,1113],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-13035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado-legislature","tag-headlines","tag-prison","tag-prisoners-and-detainees"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18780,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13035\/revisions\/18780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13035"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=13035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}