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Colorado has an incarceration rate of 556 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth. Read on to learn more about who is incarcerated in Colorado and why.

31,000 people from Colorado are behind bars

Additionally, the number of people impacted by county and city jails in Colorado is much larger than the graph above would suggest, because people cycle through local jails relatively quickly. Each year, at least 87,000 different people are booked into local jails in Colorado.

Using 2020 census data, we looked at where people in Colorado prisons come from. We found most people in prison come from the state's largest cities, but many of its smallest communities are disproportionately harmed, too.

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Colorado graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Colorado’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

Colorado's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

See detailed data on incarceration and supervision numbers and rates by state.

Reports and briefings about Colorado's criminal legal system:

Filter to show Most recent All Big picture Collateral consequences Communication Exploitation Health Jails & bail Parole and probation Policing Poverty Prison gerrymandering Racial justice Women, gender, & families

• People on probation in Colorado are saddled with onerous rules and conditions they must follow every day or risk incarceration.
• Prisons in Colorado have tablets, but they may be being used to restrict incarcerated people’s access to books and sap them of the little money they have.
• With an incarceration rate of 556 per 100,000 residents, Colorado locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth.
• During the 2020 redistricting cycle, Colorado successfully reallocated more than 80% of people in state prison back to their home communities, as part of its efforts to end prison gerrymandering.
• Prisons in Colorado force incarcerated people and their families — some of the most vulnerable members of society — to subsidize mass incarceration.
• 60% of people in Colorado jails have not been convicted of a crime, meaning they're legally innocent. There are simple steps the state can take to reduce this number. Why isn't it?
• Colorado releases roughly 174,007 men and 53,481 women from its prisons and jails each year. What is it doing to support them upon reentry?
• Colorado allows parole officers to restrict whom their clients can be around — even loved ones who are trying to help them.
• The parole board in Colorado is releasing 39% fewer people and holding 37% fewer hearings since the pandemic started.
• Black people in Colorado are incarcerated at a rate 7.3 times higher than white people.
• “Housing First” programs, like Denver Social Impact Bond, have been shown to reduce the likelihood of future criminal justice system involvement for participants. More places should adopt this type of housing program.
• Colorado's choice to criminalize "failure to appear" may be hurting public safety
• The cost of incarcerating older people is incredibly high, and their risk of reincarceration is incredibly low, yet 13% of people in Colorado prisons are over the age of 55. Why is the state keeping so many older people locked up?
• Data from Jefferson County, CO and other jurisdictions shows: Releasing people pretrial doesn't harm public safety
• Colorado makes it difficult or even risky for incarcerated journalists to tell their stories.
• In Colorado, 31,000 people are incarcerated and another 81,000 are on probation or parole.
• Colorado charges up to 36¢ for an e-message to or from prison; well above the national average.
• Jails in Colorado charge up to $3.15 for a 15-minute phone call, reaping profits for companies, while prisons charge $1.20 for a 15-minute call.
• Some Colorado prisons are replacing incarcerated people's personal mail with scans, stifling family contact
• Denver County has two jail-based polling locations — Denver County Jail and Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center — that enable people detained in the facilities to cast ballots in elections
• Bail companies in Colorado have a track record of avoiding accountability, our report All Profit, No Risk and review of state-by-state evidence show
• Report: Where people in prison come from: The geography of mass incarceration in Colorado
• In Colorado, two private prisons reported staff turnover rates of over 100% in 2021
• Colorado prisons suspended their $3 medical copay at the beginning of the pandemic. They should eliminate this fee completely.
• People in Colorado prisons must pay for hygiene items and other basics — and those without cash have to meet strict "indigence" criteria to get financial assistance
• Colorado prisons charge families up to a 19% fee to transfer money to an incarcerated loved one.
• We gave Colorado a failing grade in September 2021 for its response to the coronavirus in prisons.
• How many COVID-19 cases in Colorado communities can be linked to outbreaks in correctional facilities? (data from our report Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread)
• We graded the parole release systems of all 50 states - Colorado gets an F
• New data: Low incomes — but high fees — for people on probation in Colorado
• Colorado incarcerates women at a rate of 149 per 100,000 residents — higher than any democratic country on earth.
• People in Colorado prisons earn as little as 13¢ an hour for their work.
• The Wireless Prison: How Colorado’s tablet computer program misses opportunities and monetizes the poor
• PPI helps overturn a harmful banishment ordinance in Colorado

Other resources

• Research on Colorado in our Research Library