Judiciary committee sends $50,000 jail behavioral‑health training grant to appropriations after debate, 6‑5

The House Judiciary Committee voted 6‑5 to send House Bill 25‑1008 to the Appropriations Committee. The bill would establish a grant program administered by the Behavioral Health Administration to allow county jails to obtain funds for training and for complementary behavioral‑health services offered inside jails.

Sponsors and supporters said the measure would expand access to mental‑health care where jail populations have higher rates of untreated behavioral conditions. Representative English, co‑prime sponsor, told the committee, "access to mental health care is especially critical within our jail systems," adding that jails have become "de facto mental health facilities despite being ill equipped to provide the specialized care many individuals need." Representative Bradfield, the other co‑prime sponsor, described the bill as a grant program "that jails across the state can apply to to get additional funds for training for other forms of therapeutic approaches for prisoners who have behavioral and mental disabilities or problems."

Why it matters: Committee witnesses and sponsors said in‑jail complementary services can reduce self‑harm, improve engagement in treatment and lower recidivism when combined with clinical care. Jack Johnson, an attorney with Disability Law Colorado and chair of the behavioral‑health task force that drafted the proposal, described the services as "primarily complimentary behavioral health services," listing programs such as peer supports and AcuDetox that do not replace licensed clinical care but may improve retention and coping.

Witnesses and testimony: Formerly incarcerated advocate Nick Wells told the committee his prison‑based mentorship program found mental‑health problems to be a root cause of criminal justice involvement and argued that training peer mentors reduced recidivism. "We have a 100% success rate" among 47 coaches who completed his program and remained out of custody after release, Wells said. Dr. Libby Stout, a Colorado board‑certified psychiatrist testifying virtually, described the five‑point ear acupuncture protocol called AccuDetox as a "very safe, effective, low cost treatment" that she said increases participation in treatment and can reduce violence and withdrawal symptoms in detention settings.

Concerns and requests for change: Several committee members pressed sponsors on the bill's scope and oversight. Representative Rob Garcia asked whether the bill's language should narrow which "jail staff" may be trained, saying, "when I think about jail staff, I'm thinking everyone who is staffed at the jail" and expressing concern about credentialing and quality control. Representative Garcia also asked about reporting and outcomes: "BHA will just give the money to jails, and then how do we know where it's being used, how it's being used, and what the outcomes are?"

Representative Kelty and other members repeatedly raised budgetary concerns. Kelty noted the state's constrained finances and asked how the training and follow‑up would be funded. Dr. Stout and witnesses said training costs vary; Stout said her training fee is about $250 plus $50 to an organization (she summarized the total as $300), and that a treatment session's supply cost is minimal. Witnesses and sponsors said the $50,000 appropriation in the bill is a pooled amount to be allocated among jails, not $50,000 per jail. The original fiscal note referenced a larger figure (discussed as $90,000 in committee remarks), but sponsors reduced the requested appropriation during drafting to limit cost.

Implementation and limits: Jack Johnson said the bill intentionally leaves determinations about which jail staff may deliver complementary services to local jails and to BHA rulemaking, because county jails vary in staffing and capacity. He told the committee those services are intended to be "complimentary" to the core clinical services required by jail‑based behavioral‑health statutes and that jails are not required to accept the funds or the services.

Vote and next steps: Representative Bradfield moved to send the bill to the Appropriations Committee; Representative Bacon seconded. The committee voted 6 in favor and 5 opposed to recommend the bill to appropriations. The committee record shows the yes votes from Representatives Bacon, Bradfield, Clifford, So Kai, Zocai and Carter; no votes from Representatives Armagost, Caldwell, Espinosa, Garcia and Kelty.

Background and context: Sponsors said the bill grew from the Behavioral Health and Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems task force and is intended as a modest, statewide grant pilot to test complementary services such as peer supports, AcuDetox and other low‑cost interventions that task‑force members said were already in use in some Colorado jails. El Paso County and Summit County were cited by sponsors and witnesses as jurisdictions with existing jail‑based behavioral programs. Supporters said the grant also includes a data element that would allow BHA to track outcomes if BHA elects to require reporting; some committee members urged statutory reporting requirements while sponsors cited budget and FTE limits at BHA as a reason the agency should set reporting rules administratively.