How to reform prisons in Colorado
A conversation with activist Eric King
Colorado’s state prison system is nearly overflowing.
Officials are considering several options for dealing with the overcrowding, including opening a new prison.
But how much do prisons actually contribute to public safety? And are there better ways to deal with crime?
I recently talked with the activist Eric King, who spent over a year in the federal supermax prison in southern Colorado known as ADX Florence.
We started by discussing the history of ADX Florence and how Eric ended up there. (Eric recently wrote a book about his experience, which you can read to learn more about his story.)
We also talked about what life is like inside.
Additionally we talked about Eric’s advocacy for prison abolition and how that relates to the discussion around prison overcrowding in Colorado.
Although prison abolition remains outside the political mainstream, awareness and momentum is growing for reforms that could make prison more humane. Eric and I discussed what those might look like.
NEED TO KNOW
📮 Colorado’s 2026 primaries are happening this month, and they will likely decide who fills some of the state’s most important offices: governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and U.S. Senate.
Republicans haven’t won a statewide office in a decade, so several Democratic primaries may be more consequential than the general election in November, as I explain in the video below.
And even though most Colorado voters are independent, the state’s elected officials mostly belong to either the Democratic or Republican party – and they tend to be more partisan and polarized than the citizens they represent.
I talked about this with Amy Spicer, a researcher at the nonprofit group Courageous Colorado who wrote a recent report about how Colorado’s primary system limits the influence of independent voters.
We also talked about some ways to give independent voters more of a say in which candidates end up on the primary ballot.
🛢️ The federal government is planning to sell tens of thousands of acres of public lands in Colorado to oil and gas companies.
It’s the biggest public land lease sale in years — over 150,000 acres across more than 100 parcels, mostly in northwest Colorado.
I did a brief video talking about the context of legal and regulatory changes under the Trump administration that are making it easier and cheaper for private companies to lease public lands for drilling.
COMING UP
📚 I’m planning to launch a series of videos next week explaining some of the basics of how K-12 education funding works in Colorado.
I got several requests to tackle this topic when I made a call-out for state budget questions a few weeks ago. Some folks are still sending in ideas, which is great. Keep them coming!