Up to the Minute

The 2026 Colorado legislative session ended in May after 120 days, hundreds of bills, and a tight, high-stakes budget. Would Kyle Giddings of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition give this session’s criminal-legal developments an A, a B, an F…? Listen or watch to find out, as Colorado Radio for Justice host JoyBelle Phelan invites Giddings to break down what passed and what changed, incl...

The second regular session of Colorado's 75th General Assembly adjourned on May 13. In layman's terms: the legislature wrapped up their work last week. While state senators and representatives were pushing what bills they could across the finish line, and blocking others, JoyBelle Phelan from  Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) sat down a few blocks away at the office of the Colorado Criminal Justic...

It’s become a familiar refrain: budget crisis, bed shortages, private prison purchase prospects, and population measure changes. But what can actually be done to change the game for corrections in Colorado? In this episode of Up to the Minute, Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ)’s JoyBelle Phelan hears from Kyle Giddings from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC). Turns out, there ar...

This week, Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) brings you updates on numerous fronts in criminal-legal news, with guests Kym Ray from End Slavery Colorado and Jennifer Dillon from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC). CRJ host JoyBelle Phelan quizzes Ray and Dillon on the pending prison labor lawsuit; the continued back-and-forth by the state government on the Department of Correcti...

Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) host JoyBelle Phelan picks up where she left off in conversation with Kyle Giddings from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC): the Colorado Joint Budget Committee (JBC) voted "no" on a Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) request for a budget increase in order to add more prison beds. ... But then, they changed their minds. Why? What does thi...

As the 2026 Session of the Colorado General Assembly kicks off, the state Joint Budget Committee (JBC) meets to consider the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) request for a budget increase in order to add more prison beds. The JBC votes "no." Why? What's next? Today on UP TO THE MINUTE, Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) host JoyBelle Phelan sits down with Kyle Giddings from the Colorado Cri...

The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) hosted a teach-in this month in Denver: “How Did We Get Here? Understanding Mass Incarceration in Colorado.” Colorado Radio for Justice’s Trevor Jones was there, and in this episode of UP TO THE MINUTE, he brings listeners into incisive, urgent insights and reflections from four voices: Christie Donner, Executive Director of CCJRC; Kym Ray, CC...

The State of Colorado Joint Budget Commission has approved a supplemental budget increase to add 153 private prison beds to Colorado's system. Why does our state need more prison beds now? Wasn't there a Prison Population Management Measure passed in 2018? How is the number of people in prisons having a domino effect on jails and halfway houses? And what's this about ICE and Homeland Security chan...

The Colorado Legislature's Joint Budget Committee (JBC) will hold a special hearing this Monday, September 22, as they consider a request from the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) to supplement the CDOC's current budget, even in the midst of overall state budget cuts. Today on UP TO THE MINUTE, Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) host JoyBelle Phelan sits down with Manige Blackburn and Kyle...

As the 2025 legislative session moves into the rearview mirror, it’s the finale episode of this season of UP TO THE MINUTE. Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ) hosts JoyBelle Phelan and Michael Clifton speak with Dana Steiner from the Colorado Freedom Fund about what’s next for municipal sentencing fairness in Colorado, after Governor Jared Polis vetoed House Bill 1147 after the session ended. Then,...

CRJ hosts Bob Eisenman and Ryan Conarro sit down with Jennifer Dillon, Communications Coordinator for Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), for a look at the day-to-day work of systems change, and a reflective conversation on CCJRC’s visions for a community-centered justice system. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Governor Jared Polis has put his pen down. Bills are signed, vetoed, or dead on the calendar. Kyle Giddings & Kym Ray from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition join CRJ hosts Michael Clifton and Tiffany McCoy to run through the wins and losses of their criminal-legal reform efforts, and those of others in their coalition, during this 2025 legislative session. UP TO THE MINUTE is a po...

In Part 2 of a two-part series, CRJ hosts Tiffany McCoy and Trevor Jones continue their incisive conversation with Dana Flores, the Colorado Campaign Coordinator for the Youth Justice Initiative with the National Center for Youth Law , about all things youth justice in our state. This is a continued conversation that began in last week's episode of UP TO THE MINUTE. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast b...

In Part 1 of a two-part series, Dana Flores, the Colorado Campaign Coordinator for the Youth Justice Initiative with the National Center for Youth Law , dives into conversation about all things youth justice in our state, with CRJ hosts Trevor Jones and Tiffany McCoy. This conversation continues in next week's episode of UP TO THE MINUTE. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice...

Kyle Giddings, the Deputy Director of Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, sits down with CRJ hosts Trevor Jones and Tiffany McCoy to look back at the just-wrapped 2025 legislative session and answer two key questions: ‘What happened,’ and ‘What’s next?’ UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

This week, Dana Steiner from Colorado Freedom Fund joins CRJ hosts Tiffany McCoy and JoyBelle Phelan in a conversation about House Bill 1147 - Municipal Court Sentencing Fairness. She also answers the question, ‘How does a bill become a law, anyway?’ UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

This week, Langston Mayo and Kym Ray from the organization End Slavery Colorado take us into Colorado House Bill 1013, which aims to make visitation a right rather than a privilege in state prisons. They taking a sweeping look at the history of labor law, gender inequity, and incarceration in the U.S. And, Jennifer Dillon from Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition shares other legislative upd...

UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). In this episode, guest Kyle Giddings of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) alerts hosts Trevor Jones and Tiffany McCoy about CO House Bill 1147, as well as other key updates from the Colorado Legislative Session. Please visit https://www.ccjrc.org/news-events/ to sign up for the CCJRC newsletter for ongoing legi...

UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). In this episode, join hosts Tiffany McCoy and Ryan Conarro as they introduce their team of system-impacted hosts who have experienced incarceration. Together, they engage in dialogue with featured guests and contributors for "Up to the Minute," the staff of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), who share vivid sna...