Smarter Justice
Strengthening Public Safety While Reducing Unnecessary Incarceration
Vic Meyers
Colorado House District 47 Candidate
March 2026
Colorado can build a stronger and safer state by reducing unnecessary incarceration and investing those resources in solving serious crimes and strengthening communities.
The Problem
Over the past several decades, the United States has relied increasingly on incarceration as the primary response to crime.
While imprisonment is necessary for individuals who pose a serious threat to public safety, excessive reliance on incarceration has produced significant economic costs while often failing to prevent future crime.
Colorado reflects many of these national trends. Prison space is frequently used for nonviolent offenders, supervision violations, and individuals who pose relatively low risk to public safety.
Key Findings
Incarceration is expensive and often misused. Colorado spends tens of thousands of dollars each year to incarcerate a single individual.
Investigative capacity prevents serious crime. Modern forensic science—especially DNA analysis—helps law enforcement identify violent offenders earlier.
Structural barriers drive recidivism. Housing instability, transportation challenges, and difficulty finding employment often make successful reintegration difficult.
The Smarter Justice Plan
- Focus incarceration on serious offenders who pose genuine threats to public safety.
- Strengthen investigative capacity by expanding crime laboratory and forensic testing resources.
- Reduce barriers to successful reintegration such as housing and employment challenges.
- Improve oversight of transitional facilities including halfway houses.
- Reinvest savings from reduced incarceration into education, housing stability, healthcare, and community-based prevention.
Conclusion
Colorado does not have to accept a criminal justice system centered primarily on incarceration.
By focusing resources on prevention, investigative capacity, and successful reintegration, the state can build a system that is more effective, more efficient, and more just.