Structure | Commission on Criminal & Juvenile Justice

CCJJ Organization Chart with links

The Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice was often referenced as "the CCJJ." The CCJJ structure at the time of its sunset is represented in the "clickable" organization chart above. The labels assigned to CCJJ committees were specific and implied the hierarchical arrangement and process by which each functioned and interacted with the Commission. "Committee" was a generic term that represented any of the Commission's subgroups or even the Commission itself, but "committee" was not used as a specific label for the Commission or any of the Commission's subgroups. An "At-a-Glance" summary matrix and the description for each of the following committees is provided below: Commission, Subcommittee, Task Force, Working Group, and Study Group. This information is also available in a printable pdf.

Structure At-a-Glance

Committee Descriptors	Commission	Commission Committees
Committee Descriptors	Commission	Subcommittee Large “Solution Team”	Task Force (TF)	Working Group (WG)	Study Group Small “Solution Team”
Initiated by…	Statute (16-11.3-101, C.R.S.)	Commission	Commission	Task Force	Commission, Subc., TF or WG
Member appointments by…	Governor (& Cabinet designation), Chief Justice, Sen. Pres., Sen. Min. Leader, House Speaker, & House Min. Leader	Commission Chair/ Vice Chair	Commission leaders, AND by TF leaders request to Commission leaders	Task Force leaders	Originating leadership (Commission, Subc., TF or WG)
Number of Members (terms)	29 and 1 ex officio (2, 3-yr terms, if re-appointed)	Typically, 10 or fewer (duration of work)	Typically, 25 or fewer (duration of work)	Typically, 10 or fewer (duration of work)	Typically, 5 or fewer (duration of work)
Leader appointments by…	Governor	Commission Chair/ Vice-Chair	Commission Chair/ Vice-Chair	TF leadership OR, selected by the Working Group	Originating leadership OR selected by the Study Group
Leadership	Chair & Vice-Chair (CCJJ members only)	Chair, Chair & Vice-Chair OR Co-Chairs +	Chair & Vice-Chair OR Co-Chairs +	Leader or Co-Leaders ^	Leader or Co-Leaders #
Assigns committees	Yes (May seat Subcommittees, Task Forces, and Study Groups)	Typically, No (Rarely, but may seat Study Groups)	Yes (May seat Working and Study Groups)	Yes (May seat Study Groups)	No
Reports to…	Gov., House, Senate, & Chief Justice	Commission	Commission	Task Force	Originating group
Scope of Work	Evidence-based analysis of the criminal and juvenile justice system	Specific topic or issue (defined by Commission)	Topic area (defined by Commission)	Specific topic (defined by TF)	Very specific topic (defined by originating group)
Charge // Timeframe	Submit annual reports and recs. // Statutory duration (Subject to Sunset review & Leg. renewal)	Produce policy or leg. recs. or position statements // Typically, time-limited (1 year or less)	Produce policy or leg. recs. // Longer duration (up to 3-4 years)	Produce policy or leg. recs., prioritized options, and/or analysis // Time-limited (as directed)	Produce policy or leg. recs., prioritized options, and/or analysis // Time-limited (as directed)
Voting	Yes Approval of recs. or position statements (Supermajority), or to conduct business (Simple Majority)	Yes Approval of recs. or position statements, or ranking rec. options, or to conduct business (Simple Majority)	Yes Approval of recs. or ranking rec. options, or to conduct business (Simple Majority)	No May prioritize (or rank) drafts and options	No May prioritize (or rank) drafts and options
Records Minutes‡	Yes Upon approval, posted on website	Yes Upon approval, posted on website	Yes Upon approval, posted on website	No *(unless)** (Work products reflect activities)	No *(unless)** (Work products reflect activities)
Public Meeting	Yes	Yes	Yes	No *(unless)** (No voting or final decisions)	No *(unless)** (No voting or final decisions)
+ At least one co-chair must be a Commission member or be appointed by Commission leadership. ^ Leader must be a member of the originating task force. # Leader must be a member of the originating group or be appointed by Commission leadership. ‡ Meeting audio available on Commission website for six months. * If two or more Commission members are seated on these groups, meetings are announced in advance, open to the public and meeting minutes will be recorded.

Commission

COMMISSION. The Commission is assembled to identify and prioritize problems, issues, and opportunities and to offer solutions by way of recommendations to improve the criminal justice system (see the Commission mission and duties at About).The Commission comprises 29 members and one ex-officio member as originated by H.B. 2007-1358 (and renewed by H.B. 2018-1287) and found in §16-11.3-101 through §16-11.3-105,C.R.S. and §24-1-128.6,C.R.S. (see, About: Enabling Legislation). The structure and functions of the Commission and member policies may be found at, Bylaws and Protocol. The current structure of the Commission is pictured above and specific information on each of the current and previous subgroups may be found at Committees. The subgroups of the Commission (Subcommittee, Task Force, Working Group, and Study Group) are described in the following sections.

Subcommittee

SUBCOMMITTEE. A Subcommittee is seated by the Commission to address a specific issue and/or serve a specific, time-limited function for the Commission. A Subcommittee reports directly to the Commission and may be led by a chair, chair and vice-chair, or by co-chairs. The leadership of a Subcommittee is appointed by Commission leadership and typically includes a current member of the Commission. Subcommittee members are appointed by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission. Subcommittees typically include 10 or fewer members and, given their narrow directive, do not usually seat smaller groups. If necessary, a Subcommittee may seat a time-limited Study Group. Upon approval by a simple majority of its members, Subcommittees may forward draft recommendations or position statements to the Commission for consideration. Ideally, a Subcommittee will present to the Commission all the viable options considered in constructing its draft recommendations or position statements. Subcommittee meetings are announced in advance and are open to the public. Minutes of Subcommittee meetings will be recorded and posted on the Commission website.

Task Force

TASK FORCE. A Task Force is seated by the Commission to study a topic area over a long period of time, as necessary, and to produce draft recommendations for Commission consideration. A Task Force reports directly to the Commission and may be led by a chair and vice-chair or by co-chairs. The leadership of a Task Force is appointed by the Commission leadership and typically includes a current member of the Commission. The members of a Task Force are appointed by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Commission and typically include 25 or fewer members. Additional members may be added by the Task Force chair upon approval by the Commission leadership. Upon approval by a simple majority of its members, Task Forces may forward draft recommendations to the Commission for consideration. Ideally, a Task Force will present to the Commission all the viable options considered in constructing its draft recommendations. Task Force meetings are announced in advance and are open to the public. Minutes of Task Force meetings will be recorded and posted on the Commission website. Task Forces may seat smaller research groups labeled Working Groups and/or Study Groups.

Working Group

WORKING GROUP. A Working Group is seated by a Task Force to research a specific topic area and to provide options or draft recommendations for the originating Task Force. A Working Group reports directly to the Task Force that created it. A Working Group leader is appointed by the Task Force leadership or by the Working Group to coordinate activities or speak for the group at Task Force or Commission meetings. The Working Group leader may or may not be a current member of the Commission, but is a member of the originating Task Force. Working Groups typically include 10 or fewer members, but may include as many non-member resource persons on a revolving basis as is necessary to complete the work. Working Groups prioritize concepts, options and/or recommendation drafts, but members cannot vote to exclude viable options from presentation to the originating Task Force for consideration. Working Groups report to the originating Task Force and do no present recommendations directly to the Commission until their work is approved by the originating Task Force. Working Group meetings occur at the convenience of its members to accomplish its assigned research tasks and, because no final discussions or decisions occur at such meetings, are not considered public and minutes of Working Group meetings are not recorded because the work products provided to the associated Task Force are considered the record of this group's work (HOWEVER! If two or more Commission members are seated on a Working Group, the meeting details must be announced in advance and open to the public and minutes will be recorded). Ample opportunity for public participation and comment on Working Group products is available at the associated Task Force meetings. A Working Group may seat smaller groups labeled Study Groups.

Study Group

STUDY GROUP. A Study Group is seated by an originating CCJJ group to research a very specific topic and to produce options, draft recommendations, and/or other data and information for the originating group. The "originating groups" in the CCJJ structure may be the Commission, a Subcommittee, or a Task Force. A Study Group reports directly to its originating group. A Study Group leader may be appointed by its originating group or the Study Group may designate a leader to coordinate activities or speak for the group at meetings higher in the structure. The Study Group leader may or may not be a member of the Commission, but is typically a member of the originating group. Study Groups are typically quite small with very few (maybe 5 or fewer) members, but may include as many non-member resource persons on a revolving basis as is necessary to complete the work. Study Groups prioritize concepts, options and/or recommendation drafts, but members cannot vote to exclude viable options from presentation to the originating group for consideration. Study Group meetings occur at the convenience of its members to accomplish its assigned research tasks and, because no final discussions or decisions occur at such meetings, are not considered public and minutes of Study Group meetings are not recorded because the work products provided to the originating group are considered the record of this group's work (HOWEVER! If two or more Commission members are seated on a Study Group, the meeting details must be announced in advance and open to the public and minutes will be recorded). Ample opportunity for public participation and comment on Study Group products is available at the meetings of the originating group. A Study Group does not break into smaller groups.