Colorado Youthful Offender System Updates

Detected February 27th, 2026

Summary

Colorado Bill HB26-1064 updates the state's youthful offender system by revising eligibility, emphasizing trauma-informed care, and expanding procedural protections for participants with disabilities. The bill also adds data reporting requirements for the Department of Corrections.

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What changed

Colorado Bill HB26-1064 significantly modifies the state's youthful offender system. Key changes include updating eligibility criteria for juveniles and young adults, revising legislative intent to focus on lasting behavioral changes, trauma-informed care, and reentry preparation. The bill also mandates equitable treatment and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities within the system, adds data reporting requirements on completion rates, and requires evidence-informed rehabilitative programming.

Regulated entities, specifically the Department of Corrections and the judicial system, will need to implement new standards for treatment, programming, and reporting. The bill also expands procedural protections for system participants with mental or behavioral health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities. While no specific compliance deadline is mentioned, the bill is part of the 2026 Regular Session, implying implementation will follow legislative approval.

What to do next

Review HB26-1064 for specific impacts on departmental procedures and participant services.
Update internal policies and training to reflect revised eligibility criteria and emphasis on trauma-informed care.
Ensure compliance with new data reporting requirements for system completion rates.

Source document (simplified)

HB26-1064

Youthful Offender System Updates

| Type | Bill |
| --- | --- |
| Session | 2026 Regular Session |
| Subjects | Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement |
Concerning modifications to the youthful offender system.

Recent Bill (PDF) Recent Fiscal Note (PDF) Bill Summary:

Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. Current law establishes the youthful offender system (system) in the department of corrections (department) as a sentencing option that provides a continuum of services. The bill:

Updates references to the juveniles and young adults who are eligible for or participating in the system;
Revises certain legislative intent provisions to emphasize lasting behavioral changes in preparation for reentry, trauma-informed care, addressing criminogenic risk, accountability, healthy relationship building, and system participant and staff safety;
Expresses the general assembly's intent that juveniles and young adults with physical, intellectual, mental, or behavioral health disabilities or conditions, receive equitable treatment in sentencing to the system and reasonable accommodations once in the system;
Adds certain data related to system completion rates to an existing annual reporting requirement for the department;
Adds requirements for evidence-informed rehabilitative treatment and life skills programming and for individual therapy, family therapy, or substance use disorder treatment;
Establishes requirements for system participant evaluations, plans for addressing participants' needs and skills, and case manager duties;
Requires the department, in consultation with relevant experts, to make and publish on its website recommendations for integrating a trauma-informed standard of care with current system practices to promote the health and safety of system participants; and
Expands certain procedural protections for system participants with mental or behavioral health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Prime Sponsors

Representative

Jamie Jackson
Representative

Gretchen Rydin
Senator

Judy Amabile

Committees

House

Health & Human Services

Senate

Judiciary

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Status

Under Consideration

Introduced

Under Consideration

Upcoming Schedule

1 meeting

Fri

Feb 27

Senate Third Reading of Bills - Final Passage

9:00 AM Senate Chamber

Related Documents & Information

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 02/26/2026 | Revised | PDF |
| 02/18/2026 | Reengrossed | PDF |
| 02/17/2026 | Engrossed | PDF |
| 01/14/2026 | Introduced | PDF |

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 02/11/2026 | PA1 | PDF |

| Date | Version | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 01/21/2026 | FN1 | PDF |

| Activity | Vote | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Refer House Bill 26-1064 to the Committee of the Whole. | The motion passed on a vote of 5-2. | Vote summary |
Committee Report: PDF
| Activity | Vote | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment G). | The motion passed without objection. | Vote summary |
| Refer House Bill 26-1064, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. | The motion passed on a vote of 9-4. | Vote summary |
Hearing Summary | Committee Report: PDF
| Date | Calendar | Motion | Vote | Vote Document |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 02/18/2026 | Third Reading | BILL | 41 AYE 18 NO 6 OTHER | Vote record |

| Date | Amendment Number | Committee/ Floor Hearing | Status | Documents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 02/26/2026 | L.004 | Second Reading | Passed [] | PDF |
| 02/17/2026 | L.003 | Second Reading | Passed [] | PDF |
| 02/10/2026 | L.002 | HOU Health & Human Services | Passed [*] | PDF |
* Amendments passed in committee are not incorporated into the measure unless adopted by the full House or Senate.

** The status of Second Reading amendments may be subsequently affected by the adoption of an amendment to the Committee of the Whole Report. Refer to the House or Senate Journal for additional information.

| Date | Location | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 02/26/2026 | Senate | Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor |
| 02/23/2026 | Senate | Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole |
| 02/19/2026 | Senate | Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary |
| 02/18/2026 | House | House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments |
| 02/17/2026 | House | House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor |
| 02/13/2026 | House | House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments |
| 02/10/2026 | House | House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole |
| 01/14/2026 | House | Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services |
Prime Sponsor

Rep. J. Jackson | Rep. G. Rydin

Sen. J. Amabile

Sponsor

(None) Co-Sponsor