451 | How the Tough on Crime Lobby Influences Colorado Criminal Justice Policy w/Kyle Giddings and Rebecca Wallace

Today, Hunter was joined by Kyle Giddings and Rebecca Wallace to discuss how tough on crime types shape Colorado criminal justice policy. From the outside looking in, one could be forgiven for thinking that Colorado is one of the most progressive states in the country. After all, it was one of the few places in America that broke towards the left in the 2024 election. Despite the complete control of the government by the Democratic party, Colorado still pursues tough on crime policies. Today, Hunter and guests try and explain how that happens.       Guest: Kyle Giddings, Deputy Director, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Rebecca Wallace, Policy Director, Colorado Freedom Fund   Resources: CFF Website and Policy Pages https://www.coloradofreedomfund.org/denver-muni-reform-toolkit https://www.coloradofreedomfund.org/2026-legislation   CCJRC Website https://www.ccjrc.org/   ** Correction. During the episode, Hunter stated that the report by Dustin Zvonek was shared in the Denver Post. It was actually shared via Denver 7 ABC. The article is linked below**   ABC 7 Reporting on Housing First https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/colorado-ranks-among-top-10-states-for-homelessness-driven-by-drugs-not-housing-costs   Sign up for the ABA Public Defender Summit https://events.americanbar.org/event/12d07164-1011-4723-9352-e8e3168db945/welcome     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patreon www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home **** ALL OPINONS SHARED BY HOST HUNTER PARNELL DO NOT REFLECT THE THOUGHTS OR OPINIONS OF THE AURORA MUNICIPAL PUBLIC DEFENDER****