“This specific modeling has been off for years,” said state Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat and chair of the Prison Population Management Interim Study Committee. That the governor’s office and General Assembly continue to rely on iffy data, she said, is something, “we really need to address.” Read full article #criminaljustice #LeslieHerod #prisonpopulation

“Largely, Coloradans believe we should turn out to vote and do everything we can to decrease barriers, so that those eligible to vote have access to the ballot. That’s what we were able to do with this measure,” said bill sponsor, Representative Leslie Herod (D-Denver)." Read full article #criminaljusticereform #criminaljustice #paroleevoting #votingrights #civilrights

"State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, sponsored the parolee voting bill this past legislative session. She said she hopes that by November, the percentage of voting parolees mirrors or comes close to the percentage of non-parolee citizens who participate in elections. Nearly 60 percent of eligible voting-age Coloradans voted last November, according to the Secretary of State’s Office." "But Herod also said she knows it’ll be a challenge to reach many of those affected

"Advocates for the change hope that allowing parolees to vote will help them feel more vested in their communities, which may lead to lower recidivism rates." “If you vote you’re more likely not to commit a crime,” state Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, told The Colorado Sun earlier this year. She was one of the lead proponents of the change." Read full article #criminaljusticereform #criminaljustice #paroleevoting #votingrights #civilrights

"This legislative session, Herod would like to restore voting rights to individuals who have served time and are now out on parole. She would also like to reduce certain drug charges from felonies to misdemeanors. Additionally, Herod aims to remove bail costs for those charged with minor offenses that, under the current system, cannot afford to return home with their families. Other bills the Democrat from Denver has sponsored include one that would provide free tampons to wo

"The 2019 legislative session might have ended on May 3, but Colorado Rep. Leslie Herod is still working. On Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis signed eight bills she sponsored into law. The octet focused on criminal justice—including parolee voting rights and “ban the box,” an effort to eliminate questions about criminal history on initial job applications." "It’s all part of what has been a busy year for the Denver Democrat, who also took on several leadership positions, including l

"A bill moving its way through the Capitol would re-enfranchise felons who are out on parole." "An examination by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Council found that the bill — House Bill 1266, sponsored by Denver Rep. Leslie Herod in the House and Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg of Boulder — would re-enfranchise at least 9,297 people by June of this year, and hundreds more by 2020. Voters across the state will decide in November on countless municipal issues and cand

"When Herod first decided to take this issue on, Colorado law said that people could not be assaulted while they were in prison, jail, or a hospital. However, the law said nothing about people who were in custody – people who are under arrest or are stopped by an officer – and it was this loophole that put the most vulnerable Coloradans in danger. In August 2017, aWestminster cop named Curtis Arganbright assaulted a woman who struggled with alcoholism, after she had been accu

"The Colorado House provided this week bipartisan support to a bill aimed at imposing stiffer penalties against peace officers convicted of sexual assault." "The bill, sponsored by Denver Democrat Rep. Leslie Herod, would allow prosecutors to charge a peace officer with unlawful sexual conduct when they knowingly engage in sexual contact, sexual intrusion or sexual penetration any time a victim is in custody, regardless of consent." "Unlawful sexual conduct by a peace officer

“The data is there, showing that when you give someone an opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with an employer, to get out of that application process, they’re more likely to get that job,” said Herod, who represents northeast Denver." "All we’re trying to do is ensure that people aren’t automatically screened out for a mistake they made in their past and that they’ve paid their time for. This will allow them to sit next to an employer one-on-one and say, ‘Here’s