Colorado § 17-22.5-202 - Release - clothes, money, transportation - reentry services - reports.

§ 17-22.5-202. Release - clothes, money, transportation - reentry services - reports.

(1) [Editor's note: This version of subsection (1) is effective until January 1, 2027.] Ten days prior to the date on which any inmate confined in a correctional facility is entitled to be discharged or to be paroled from said correctional facility, the executive director or the executive director's designee shall give such inmate a ticket of leave therefrom, which shall entitle the inmate to depart from said correctional facility. The executive director or the executive director's designee shall at the same time furnish such inmate with suitable clothing and may furnish transportation, at the expense of the state, from the place at which said correctional facility is located to the place of the inmate's residence in Colorado, or any other place in Colorado. The executive director or the executive director's designee shall also furnish to any inmate being discharged, other than a parolee, one hundred dollars. The executive director or the executive director's designee may furnish any inmate being released on parole a reasonable sum of money not to exceed one hundred dollars; except that, if the executive director or the executive director's designee furnishes less than one hundred dollars, the difference between one hundred dollars and the amount furnished shall be credited to an account for such parolee. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (1), if the inmate has previously been returned to custody in a correctional facility after being paroled and before the completion of his or her period of parole and previously received such sum of money, the executive director or the executive director's designee shall not furnish a sum of money to the inmate. The executive director or the executive director's designee shall certify any amount so credited to the division of adult parole, and any such amount shall be distributed to an inmate in accordance with rules promulgated by the department.

(1) [Editor's note: This version of subsection (1) is effective January 1, 2027.]

(a) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2026.)

(b) The executive director or the executive director's designee shall furnish the individual released from a correctional facility with suitable clothing and shall furnish transportation, at the expense of the state, from the place the correctional facility is located to the individual's residence in Colorado, or any other place in Colorado.

(c) (I) The executive director or the executive director's designee shall furnish to an individual being released from the correctional facility a release allowance of one hundred dollars.

(II) The release allowance furnished to the individual being released from the correctional facility must not be subject to deductions for restitution, fees, transportation, clothing, or any other expense incurred during the individual's incarceration or release from the correctional facility.

(d) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2026.)

(2) [Editor's note: This version of subsection (2) is effective until January 1, 2027.] An inmate furnished with a ticket of leave for discharge shall be deemed to be fully discharged from the sentence upon which he was confined at the end of said ten-day period.

(2) [Editor's note: This version of subsection (2) is effective January 1, 2027.] Repealed.

(3) Prior to the release from a correctional facility by discharge or parole of any person imprisoned for the commission of a child abuse offense which occurred within the state of Colorado, the executive director shall:

(a) Notify the Colorado bureau of investigation of:

(I) The identity of the offender; and

(II) The anticipated release date of the offender; and

(III) The last-known home address of the offender; and

(IV) The parole address of the offender; and

(V) The results of a chemical test of a sex offender's biological substance sample in accordance with paragraph (b.5) of this subsection (3);

(b) Notify the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the last-known home address of the offender of:

(I) The identity of the offender; and

(II) The last-known home address of the offender; and

(III) The anticipated release date of the offender; and

(IV) The parole address of the offender;

(b.5) (I) On and after July 1, 1994, direct appropriate personnel with the department of corrections to require any offender who is released from the custody of the department of corrections having completed serving a sentence for an offense involving unlawful sexual behavior or for which the factual basis involved unlawful sexual behavior as defined in section 16-22-102 (9), C.R.S., who is under their jurisdiction to sign a notice that informs the offender of the duty to register with local law enforcement agencies in accordance with the provisions of article 22 of title 16, C.R.S. The same persons, after obtaining a signed notice from an offender, shall notify local law enforcement agencies where the offender plans to reside of the offender's address within forty-eight hours after an offender has been placed on parole or probation when such an address is provided in the signed notice. Department of corrections personnel shall provide such notice no later than two days before the offender is to be released from the department of corrections.

(II) Repealed.

(III) The department may use reasonable force to obtain a biological substance sample in accordance with section 16-11-102.4, C.R.S. In addition, any person who refuses to comply with section 16-11-102.4, C.R.S., may be denied parole, or, if such person has been granted parole, such parole may be revoked.

(c) Notify the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the parole address of the offender if the parole address is not the same as the last-known home address of the offender of:

(I) The identity of the offender; and

(II) The anticipated release date of the offender; and

(III) The last-known home address of the offender; and

(IV) The parole address of the offender;

(d) Notify the victim or victims individually or through those persons with whom they reside of:

(I) The identity of the offender; and

(II) The anticipated release date of the offender; and

(III) The last-known home address of the offender; and

(IV) The parole address of the offender;

(e) Check with the Colorado bureau of investigation to determine whether there are any outstanding warrants for the arrest of any person confined for the commission of a Colorado child abuse offense and about to be released from a correctional facility, and, if so, said release shall be into the custody of the law enforcement agency issuing the warrant.

(3.5) Repealed.

(4) (a) If the victim of a child abuse crime under section 18-6-401, C.R.S., or a relative of the victim, if the victim has died or is a minor or is incapacitated, or any person requested by the victim to receive notice has requested notice from the parole board of any parole proceedings pursuant to section 17-2-214, relative to the person convicted of said crime, the executive director shall not be required to provide duplicate notice under paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of this section.

(b) The notice to the victim pursuant to paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of this section shall be sent by the department to the last-known address in the possession of the department, and the victim of the crime or a relative of the victim, if the victim has died or is a minor or is incapacitated, or any person requested by the victim to receive notice has the duty to keep the department informed of his or her most current address.

(5) A person discharged from a correctional facility without supervision is eligible to receive reentry support services from the department or community-based organizations that receive funding from the department to provide reentry services for up to one year after the person's date of discharge.

(6) [Editor's note: Subsection (6) is effective January 1, 2027.] By September 15, 2027, and by each September 15 thereafter, the department shall publish on its website and provide to the house of representatives judiciary committee and the senate judiciary committee, or their successor committees, a report that includes the following:

(a) The number of individuals released from department correctional facilities in the preceding fiscal year;

(b) The number and percentage of individuals who received the release allowance pursuant to subsection (1) of this section in the preceding fiscal year;

(c) The total dollar amount of release allowances disbursed in the preceding fiscal year; and

(d) Any administrative or policy limitations on release allowance eligibility or disbursement in the preceding fiscal year.

Source: L. 84: Entire article R&RE, p. 519, § 1, effective July 1. L. 87: (3) and (4) added, p. 688, § 1, effective July 1. L. 94: (3)(b.5) added, p. 1739, § 2, effective July 1. L. 95: (3)(a) and (3)(b.5) amended, p. 880, § 18, effective May 24. L. 96: (3)(b.5)(I) and (3)(b.5)(II) amended, p. 1585, § 7, effective July 1. L. 97: (1) amended, p. 26, § 1, effective March 20. L. 2000: (1) amended, p. 852, § 61, effective May 24; (3.5) added, p. 1027, § 6, effective July 1. L. 2001: (3)(b.5)(II) amended, p. 957, § 4, effective July 1. L. 2002: (3)(a), (3)(b.5), and (3.5) amended, p.1152, § 9, effective July 1; (3)(b.5)(I) and (3)(b.5)(II) amended, p.1185, § 20, effective July 1. L. 2003: (3.5) amended, p. 1990, § 31, effective May 22. L. 2006: (3)(b.5)(II)(B) and (3.5)(b) added by revision, pp. 1689, 1693, §§ 7, 17. L. 2007: (3)(b.5)(III) amended, p. 2028, § 34, effective June 1. L. 2019: (5) added, (SB 19-143), ch. 286, p. 2659, § 4, effective May 28. L. 2026: (1) amended, (2) repealed, and (6) added, (HB 26-1256), ch. 338, p. 2054, § 2, effective January 1, 2027.

Editor's note: (1) Amendments to subsection (3)(b.5) by Senate Bill 02-010 and Senate Bill 02-019 were harmonized.

(2) Subsection (3)(b.5)(II)(B) provided for the repeal of subsection (3)(b.5)(II), effective July 1, 2007. (See L. 2006, pp. 1689, 1693.)

(3) Subsection (3.5)(b) provided for the repeal of subsection (3.5), effective July 1, 2007. (See L. 2006, pp. 1689, 1693.)

(4) Section 5(2) of chapter 338 (HB 26-1256), Session Laws of Colorado 2026, provides that the act changing this section applies to all individuals released from custody on or after January 1, 2027.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 26-1256, see section 1 of chapter 338, Session Laws of Colorado 2026.

ANNOTATION

Subsection (1) is not intended to create individual liability on the part of the executive director or the director's designee if an inmate being released on parole is not furnished money upon the inmate's release from prison. Edmond v. Clements, 896 F. Supp. 2d 960 (D. Colo. 2012).