Statements 128 and 130 will not make us safer | STAGE | Opinion

Two initiatives in the November election promise to bring greater public safety, but if passed they will have the opposite effect. Both measures would divert resources from programs that deliver much better long-term public safety outcomes for our communities.

These measures are misleading. Proposition 128 calls for longer prison sentences. Proposition 130 directs general funds only to police, effectively reducing funding for programs that reduce crime and recidivism.

Proposition 128

Proposition 128 would make people ineligible for parole until they have served at least 85% of their sentence (up from the current 75%), overriding the judgment of parole officials who deem an individual ready for safe release under constant supervision. The measure would punish people who have worked to turn their lives around and proven they are ready to return home.

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Prop 128 would put pressure on the state budget and taxpayer dollars. A 2020 budget analysis of a similar proposal found it would increase prison operating costs by $178 million in the first five years and require $457 million in new prison beds and private prison contracts. Taxpayers are not getting a good return on their investment when it comes to incarceration in Colorado.

More prison time for people ready for release is not the answer. In the General Assembly, we passed bipartisan legislation to safely reduce the prison population and reduce recidivism while focusing on rehabilitation and reentry. These programs are starting to work. Proposition 128 would undermine that progress and set us behind.

Proposition 130

Proposition 130 directs the Legislature to direct $350 million from the state’s general fund to traditional law enforcement officers alone. It would divert this funding at the expense of other essential services that support public safety, such as education, mental health care and community development. Funds under the measure may not be distributed to critical first responders such as firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, or community partners (such as social workers and behavioral health co-responders) who are essential to public safety and emergency response.

In the Legislature, we have established a robust budget process to distribute limited resources across our state. We debate programs on their merits and distribute resources to balance needs. Proposition 130 circumvents this process and undermines our system of representative government. It’s a bad policy with a bad fiscal system. It’s bad everywhere.

Let’s focus on the things we know will increase public safety and reject the budget robbery of special interests that encourage these backward approaches.

Vote NO on proposals 128 and 130.

Judy Amabile of Boulder is a state representative serving Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin and Larimer counties in the Colorado House.