Larimer County highlights $26.7 million jail-cost savings, new veterans court grant in 2024 CJA report

Emily Humphrey, director of Community Justice Alternatives for Larimer County, presented the department’s first annual report and 2024 year‑in‑review to the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 26, 2025, outlining program outcomes, new grants and operational metrics.

Humphrey summarized the department’s mission: “we prioritize community safety and reduce recidivism by providing accountability, resources and support to justice involved individuals,” and described a set of 2024 accomplishments that department leaders told commissioners both reduced jail use and expanded services.

The presentation included a financial comparison of detention and alternatives. Humphrey said a traditional jail bed day costs $286.53, while community corrections averaged $142.50 per day, work release $146.69 per day and pretrial supervision $6.29 per day. Using the department’s tally of 186,254 jail bed days saved through alternative sentencing and community corrections, Humphrey told the board the county avoided roughly $26,666,000 in annual jail costs when comparing a full‑jail cost to the alternatives’ combined cost.

Commissioner John Kefalas pressed for clarity on whether the savings are “on paper” and where the money goes. He asked, “The savings that you talk about, is that on paper is that real money and if it's real money what where does it go?” Humphrey answered that the calculation reflects what it would have cost had those people been held in jail, and that the alternatives avoid those jail expenditures; she noted some savings also come from avoiding collateral losses such as job or housing loss for people who serve time.

The presentation detailed several new or expanded programs. The board heard that Larimer County received a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant of $898,720 over four years to help stand up…