JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — The Jefferson County jail on Sunday planned to release 21 inmates early as a part of jail population management plan that took effect Jan. 1, 2020.
Under the new policy, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) announced that when the jail population exceeded capacity by 2% steps would be taken to reduce the population to manageable levels.
Those eligible for release had to have served a minimum of 50% of their sentence, according to JCSO.
A list provided by the sheriff's office included the 21 inmates' convictions and percentage of sentence served. The crimes include DUI, car theft and burglary. None of them involved violence against a victim.
Sunday's list only included people who had served at least 87% of their sentence which means they would have been released in a matter of days or weeks.
It was originally reported 31 inmates would be released as part of the jail population management plan. That number is now 21 inmates because 10 others had advisements Sunday and were released unrelated to the plan.
Each morning, JCSO said the staff would meet and review the inmate count to determine if any action was needed. This is the first time since the policy went into effect that the inmates had to be released.
Sheriff Jeff Shrader acknowledged in a statement from JCSO that the early release "undermines the authority of the judges and the authority of the court."
"Releasing inmates early before they have completed their full sentence is also not the message we want to send to criminals," Shrader said. "Unfortunately, it is the action we have to take to meet the budgetary constraints we are currently faced with."
Last year, Shrader announced his department would be facing significant budget cuts in 2020. In order to continue operating the jail in that county, he would have to make some changes in order to house fewer inmates.
First, the sheriff decided to close an entire floor of the jail. That decreased the jail capacity from 1392 to beds to 1148 beds. Staffing was also reduced by 51 positions.
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