Author: Paul Pazen
-
PERSPECTIVE: The Centennial State falls to fentanyl
Colorado is seeing more drug-related death as the rest of the country sees less. Synthetic opioid fatalities have been falling nationwide since 2023 from a combination of federal enforcement efforts, state policies, and greater public awareness. This reduction is a major victory for the U.S., which has struggled with an explosion of synthetic opioid deaths since fentanyl presence boomed on American streets in the mid-2010s. Unfortunately, the national…
-
PERSPECTIVE: The pendulum has swung too far
There is middle ground between mercy and justice. That is what Colorado’s leaders should search for in its criminal justice system. For more than a decade, Colorado has devoted extraordinary energy to reshaping its criminal justice system trying to meet this balance. Reformers, in good faith, have pushed to reduce incarceration, expand alternatives to…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Three ways Colorado’s Legislature can address crime
Criminal justice needs legislative attention this session. Fortunately, the big items are easy fixes, or the next iterations of previous attempts to make Colorado a safer, more just state for all. Three items alone would go a long way: prioritize crime victims; study how permissive policy changes have contributed to rising crime, and substance misuse.…
-
PERSPECTIVE: Colorado’s public safety challenge
Last week, Coloradans and people across the nation celebrated National Police Week. It was an opportunity to value the sacrifice that so many women and men have made in service to their country as law enforcement professionals. As the Public Safety Fellow with Common Sense Institute (CSI), Police Week has also been an opportunity to…