Public Defender Liaison to the Colorado Department of Corrections and State Board of Parole

The CDOC Liaison program was enacted by the Colorado state legislature through C.R.S. 21-1-104(6). That part of the statute reads:

“The office of state public defender shall provide one or more public defender liaisons to the department of corrections and the state board of parole to assist inmates or inmate liaisons with legal matters related to detainers, bonds, holds, warrants, competency, special needs parole applications, and commutation applications. The office of state public defender, in consultation with the state board of parole and the department of corrections, shall develop any necessary policies and procedures for implementation of this subsection (6).”

The CDOC liaison program is comprised of one attorney and one paralegal. The largest portion of the program aims to assist people incarcerated in the department of corrections with resolving outstanding warrants and detainers, special needs parole applications and appeals, clemency petitions, and competency issues.

Another important part of the program aims to assist OSPD attorneys and staff through the liaisons’ communication with CDOC and board of parole employees. The CDOC liaison team acts as an intermediary between the OSPD, the CDOC and board of parole in order to foster more transparency from those agencies. The liaison team also obtains information to help OSPD attorneys and staff better advise and represent their clients.

The CDOC Liaison program can be reached via email at docliaison@coloradodefenders.us.