Colorado Revised Statutes Title 17. Corrections § 17-1-104.9. Custody levels for state inmates at private prisons--correctional emergency--definition

(2)(a) At the request of the executive director, the governor may, in his or her discretion, declare a correctional emergency and by proclamation authorize the department to place state inmates classified higher than medium custody in private contract prisons or in private prison facilities located outside the state of Colorado. A proclamation issued under this subsection (2) shall remain in effect for thirty days.

(b) At the request of the executive director, the governor may, in his or her discretion, renew a declaration of correctional emergency and reissue a proclamation in accordance with paragraph (a) of this subsection (2) for one or more additional thirty-day periods as the governor deems appropriate.

(c) For purposes of this section, “correctional emergency” means a riot, a disturbance, a homicide, or inmate violence occurring in a correctional facility or in transit to or from a correctional facility, or a situation involving inmates that presents a clear and immediate danger to the safety, security, and control of the department. “Correctional emergency” does not include inmate overcrowding.