HB 1064 Colorado House · 2026 Regular Session

Youthful Offender System Updates

Summary

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 act: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; andExpands certain procedural protections for system participants with mental or behavioral health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Signed Mar 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Rerevised → Final Act · 4 edits · Mar 18, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates the Colorado Youthful Offender System to include specific protections and requirements for juveniles and young adults. It mandates that pre-sentence reports explicitly assess whether these individuals are suitable for the system and requires the Department of Corrections to evaluate their acceptability before sentencing. The legislation also expands the legal definition of 'offender' to include participants in the final phase of the youthful offender system and clarifies that courts can sentence eligible young adults to this system.

Scope change

The bill's scope now explicitly encompasses juveniles and young adults, requiring specific assessments for their suitability for the youthful offender system and defining 'offender' to include those in the final phase of that system.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement for pre-sentence reports to include a warden's determination on whether a juvenile or young adult is acceptable for the youthful offender system, considering crime nature, history, and bed space availability.

Added legislative intent to provide a trauma-informed, secure, and regimented environment for juveniles and young adults within the system.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'offender' in community parole statutes to explicitly include 'youthful offender system participants' who are in phase III of the system.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that courts may sentence eligible young adult offenders to the youthful offender system, reinforcing the applicability of the system to this demographic.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 12, 2026 · House Feb 18, 2026

How they voted

49–13

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 64

Mar 12, 2026

D Democratic42

40 Yea 2

95% Yea

R Republican22

9 Yea 13 Nay

59% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 26, 2026

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Mar 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Signed by the President of the Senate

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Signed by the Speaker of the House

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (49-13-2)

senate

Mar 3, 2026

Introduced

House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

upper

Feb 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Introduced

Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

House Committee on Health & Human Services Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Introduced

Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services

lower

3 primary · 29 co-sponsors