Local lawmakers urge to keep Rifle Correctional Center open

Taylor Cramer/Post Independent
Lawmakers and local officials are urging the Colorado Joint Budget Committee (JBC) to reconsider a proposal to close the Rifle Correctional Center.
In a letter sent Jan. 31, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs; Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon; and Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose; warned that shutting down the facility would have far-reaching consequences for Garfield County, outweighing any financial savings.
“The Rifle Correctional Center is an important institution in rural Garfield County,” the letter states. “As an employer, it provides stable income to dozens of families in a part of the state where the median income is significantly lower than the overall median income for Colorado, as well as the lowest in the county. Stable jobs where people can live where they work are extremely valuable.”
The minimum-security prison, which houses up to 192 inmates and employs 56 people, has been under scrutiny since December when state budget analysts recommended its closure to save $10 million annually. Officials cited the facility’s declining inmate population and suggested transferring prisoners to other minimum-security facilities in Delta or Sterling.
Garfield County leaders pushed back on the idea, saying the facility’s impact goes beyond bed space. The letter highlighted its rehabilitation programs, which provide inmates with work opportunities and re-entry support. The facility also partners with Habitat for Humanity, offering inmates construction training that leads to employment after release.
“In addition to impacting dozens of local families, closing the Rifle Correctional Center would end valuable Department of Corrections programming,” legislators wrote. “This minimum security prison offers work programs and re-entry opportunities. These programs contribute to lower recidivism and offer rehabilitative opportunities that benefit both individuals and the state at large.”
Rifle Correctional Center has operated in Garfield County since the 1960s, evolving from a labor camp into a rehabilitation-focused institution. Local officials said its closure would be a major economic blow to the region, where many residents already struggle with high housing costs and long commutes to work.
“If this major employer in the region were to close, it would only add to the crisis we are facing locally and as a state where people cannot afford to live where they work, folks commute hours to work in neighboring resorts, and working families face increasing economic and emotional burdens,” the letter stated.
The proposal has drawn widespread opposition from Garfield County officials, city councils and more. The Associated Governments of Northwest Colorado, which represents multiple counties, has also stepped in to support keeping the facility open.
“We support the local governments who have also reached out requesting that you reconsider funding the Rifle Correctional Center,” lawmakers wrote. “We understand that the state finds itself with the nearly-impossible task of balancing a nearly billion-dollar deficit. We urge you to consider that what may look like a small number on a piece of paper in fact has tremendous impacts on local communities, working families, rural jobs, and multiple levels of government.”
The JBC was set to review the proposal last week, but the discussion was delayed. The next discussion regarding the correctional center will take place on March 5.

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