News and Events

Press Releases:

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Contact: Leanne Wheeler, 303-995-8010, leanne@ccjrc4action.org

Leading Colorado Community Safety Group Releases Voter Guide to the Denver Mayoral Candidates, Endorses Dr. Lisa Calderón

DENVER — CCJRC4Action released a voter guide on the Denver mayoral candidates Wednesday and announced its endorsement of Dr. Lisa Calderón. A statement regarding the endorsement is below, and the full voter guide is available at https://bit.ly/ccjrc4a-2023-voter-guide.

The voter guide is based on a questionnaire that probed the candidates’ views on crime, drug use, and the strategies they would utilize to improve community safety. It features full written responses from each of the nine candidates who completed it: Kelly Brough, Lisa Calderón, Chris Hansen, Leslie Herod, Mike Johnston, Debbie Ortega, Jesse Lashawn Parris, Ean Tafoya, and Jim Walsh.

Most of the candidates attributed crime and drug use to deeper systemic issues, including poverty and a shortage of affordable housing, insufficient mental health and treatment resources, and inequalities in education, income, and wealth. All of the candidates acknowledged the Covid-19 pandemic’s significant contribution to increases in crime over the past few years.

Those views are generally in line with most voters, according to a recent Public Policy Polling survey. It found most Denverites think increasing mental health resources or boosting job training and economic opportunity would be the most effective method of reducing crime, rather than hiring more police officers or increasing criminal penalties.

CCJRC4Action’s endorsement of Dr. Calderón is based on her survey responses and decades of community service and advocacy, as well as the vision and positions she articulated during public forums and debates. CCJRC4Action attended and reviewed at least a dozen mayoral candidate forums hosted by its community partners, news outlets, and others.

Statement from CCJRC4Action in support of Dr. Lisa Calderón for Denver mayor:

“This year’s mayoral race features a particularly wide field of candidates who span the ideological spectrum. Crime and public safety were frequent debate topics, and the candidates had ample opportunity to express their visions and proposed strategies. Several candidates expressed views shared by CCJRC4Action, but Dr. Lisa Calderón was the one who most definitively aligned with our vision and values.

“Dr. Calderón has a fundamental understanding of the social determinants of crime, which is critical to developing a successful public safety strategy that emphasizes prevention, early intervention, and community restoration rather than perpetuating mass incarceration that has disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities. She recognizes the systemic issues that contribute to crime, as well as the systemic changes that are necessary to prevent it.

“Through over twenty years of advocacy, Dr. Calderón has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to advancing the health and safety of the Denver community, particularly those most vulnerable and marginalized. Her vision, values, and insight are drawn from her diverse experience and responsibilities, as an academic, a nonprofit executive, a direct service provider both to victims of crime and people released from jail, a crime survivor, a mother, and as a former chief of staff to a sitting Denver City Council member. Her commitment coupled with her deep understanding of the challenges facing Denver and her vision for solutions positions her to be the mayor Denver needs and deserves.”

# # #

CCJRC4Action is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. For more information, visit https://ccjrc4action.org.

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Contact: Leanne Wheeler, 303-995-8010, leanne@ccjrc4action.org

New Poll Captures Denver Voters’ Views on Crime and Public Safety Strategies as Mayor’s Race Approaches

When it comes to reducing crime, drug use, and overdoses, voters think boosting mental health and treatment resources would be more effective than increasing criminal penalties and hiring more police officers

DENVER — A poll released Wednesday sheds new light on Denver voters’ views on crime and public safety as voters begin casting ballots for the city’s first new mayor in 12 years.

Crime and approaches to reducing it have been hot topics among the mayoral candidates, with some voicing support for increasing criminal penalties and hiring more police officers, while others push for addressing the root causes of crime by increasing services and economic opportunities.

The Public Policy Polling survey of 633 registered Denver voters was conducted February 20–21. It was commissioned by CCJRC4Action, the nonpartisan advocacy arm of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. The full survey results are available at https://bit.ly/Denver-public-safety-poll-2023.

Key findings:

Three out of five voters (61%) disapprove of Denver’s current approach to crime and public safety, and only about one out of three voters (32%) think local law enforcement has a generally positive relationship with the community.
A majority of voters feel very safe or somewhat safe in Denver, but two out of three voters feel less safe now than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic. About one in four voters reported that they or a member of their household was the victim of a violent or property crime in Denver in the past year.
Just 28% of voters said crime and public safety is the most important issue in the Denver mayor’s race. Nearly 40% said housing and homelessness is the most important issue, and an additional 13% cited the economy and jobs.
When it comes to methods for reducing crime in the city, most voters think increasing mental health resources (31%) or boosting job training and economic opportunity (23%) would be more effective than hiring more police officers (20%) and increasing criminal penalties (15%).
When it comes to reducing drug use and overdoses, nearly four out of 10 voters think expanding funding for treatment would be the most effective approach, and one-quarter of voters think funding overdose prevention centers would be most effective. Just 17% think increasing drug penalties would be the most effective, and only 6% think hiring more police would be most effective.

“Denver will be electing a new mayor for the first time in over a decade, and the candidates represent a wide range of views on how the city should approach crime and public safety,” said CCJRC4Action campaign manager Leanne Wheeler. “Some have proposed increasing criminal penalties and hiring more police officers, but we cannot arrest and incarcerate our way out of this problem.

“Crime and drug use are symptoms of deeper, more systemic issues, such as insufficient mental health and treatment services and a shortage of affordable housing,” Wheeler said. “Most Denver voters recognize the best way to prevent crime is to address the social and economic conditions that contribute to it. Denver’s next mayor should, as well.”