Up to the Minute

Colorado Radio for Justice

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UP TO THE MINUTE is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). It's a weekly snapshot of what’s happening, and what’s on the horizon, in the criminal-legal system in Colorado and beyond, hosted by CRJ's team of system-impacted podcast hosts. CRJ's featured guests / contributors on the show are staff from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC). www.radioforjustice.org

Aug 24

The Fentanyl Ballot Measure, Prop 132 - Part 1

In the upcoming midterm election, Coloradans will find Proposition 132 on their ballots. It’s a measure that would set mandatory sentencing for anyone possessing fentanyl or fentanyl-tainted drugs, knowingly or not, with a required minimum of 8 to 32 years in prison, removing prosecutorial and judicial discretion. In this first part of a Colorado Radio for Justice series taking a look at Prop 132, CRJ host Trevor Jones interviews Manige Blackburn-Giles of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC). Blackburn-Giles breaks down the measure: she says it measure springs from real community concerns about the fentanyl crisis - a crisis that is deeply personal to Blackburn-Giles herself. But, she says, the measure could cost the state $433 million and incarcerate about 900 more people annually, and may increase overdoses by deterring calls for help. She says Prop 132 resurrects mandatory minimums that already failed during the War on Drugs, and that it includes no funding for effective responses like behavioral health care, Medicaid, and harm reduction. Stay tuned to Up to the Minute for an ongoing look at the Fentanyl Ballot Measure. For more about its ramifications, check out: CCJRC’s info site: www.getthefactsco.org The site of Advance Colorado, the interest group backing the measure - https://www.advancecolorado.org/institute/public-safety/ And, for more education about fentanyl in our communities, check out the State of Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration site https://fentanyledcolorado.org/resources/ UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org 00:24 Welcome & Introduction01:11 Understanding Ballot Measures03:20 The Fentanyl Ballot Measure Explained04:56 Current Laws & Mandatory Minimums06:21 The War on Drugs & Deterrence07:21 Who's Behind the Measure08:19 Community Impact & Personal Stories10:40 Alternative Solutions to Sentencing12:52 Why Fentanyl & the Trafficking Problem16:12 Arguments Against the Measure19:24 Unintended Consequences20:29 Harm Reduction & Funding24:33 Voter Advice & Closing
Jun 22

Colorado’s 2026 Session Wrap-Up: Second Look, Restitution, Reentry, & More

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, including the “second look” post-conviction bill (SB 26-115), restitution reform limiting insurance companies’ role as restitution “victims,” and a reentry support bill (SB 26-1256) requiring $100 gate money and preventing DOC from denying IDs due to legal financial obligations. They also discuss a trauma-informed training requirement for peace officers; Giddings’ personal experience navigating steep restitution interest rates; and much more. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org COLORADO RADIO FOR JUSTICE https://www.radioforjustice.org/ Instagram // radio4justice Facebook // radioforjustice LinkedIn // radioforjustice Bluesky // https://bsky.app/profile/radioforjustice.bsky.social X (formerly Twitter) // https://x.com/home
May 18

Prison Pressures & Policy Shifts

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 Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) with their Deputy Director, Kyle Giddings. In this episode, they take stock of what criminal-legal-related bills are headed to the governor's desk, to await signature or veto. Phelan and Giddings also take a look at some critical ballot measures on the horizon this fall in Colorado, and they dig into key questions: Do CCJRC's positions fly in the face of Prop 128 (2024)? What should voters make of the looming fentanyl ballot measure? And what's the number one misunderstanding the public has about the carceral system? UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org
Apr 21

Seeking Solutions to the System's Struggles

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 are some possible solutions on the horizon: new bills moving through the Colorado legislature; a proposed working group that would bring together voices from inside and outside state prisons; and a standoff in Walsenburg that may help redirect tax dollars toward more proactive prison measures. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org
Mar 16

New Legi Bills; Prison Labor Lawsuit; CDOC Budget Update; & Clemency for Tina Peters?

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 Corrections' requested bed/budget increase; a series of new prospective bills on criminal-legal reform; and, last but not least, the prospect - or specter - of clemency for incarcerated Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org
Feb 23

What's Next After the CDOC Budget Flip-Flop

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 this mean for both residents and staff of Colorado's crowded prisons? Plus, how CCJRC works to make 'bad' criminal justice bills better... and, a new edition of The Go Guide. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org
Feb 2

The State Joint Budget Committee Says "No" to More Prison Beds, & Legislative Session Kick-Off

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 Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) to learn about what might be next for Colorado's packed prisons, and what's on the horizon in criminal justice policy during the new legislative session. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org
11/24/2025

Understanding Mass Incarceration in CO with CCJRC & Other Organizations in the Field

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, CCJRC’s Denver Campaign Coordinator; Nathan Eagan, attorney who also serves with the Alternate Defense Counsel; and Aubrey Valencia from The Storytellers Project and Breaking Chains Building Bonds. UP TO THE MINUTE is a podcast by Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

UP TO THE MINUTE is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). It's a weekly snapshot of what’s happening, and what’s on the horizon, in the criminal-legal system in Colorado and beyond, hosted by CRJ's team of system-impacted podcast hosts. CRJ's featured guests / contributors on the show are staff from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC). www.radioforjustice.org

Creator

Colorado Radio for Justice
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

20
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 Colorado Radio for Justice
Show Website

Up to the Minute