Background
Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) is one of Colorado's largest state agencies, managing 19 facilities and supervising more than 15,000 individuals in custody and over 9,000 on parole. Its workforce exceeds 5,000 professionals, including Community Parole Officers (CPOs) who interact daily with individuals in complex and sometimes volatile situations.
The deployment
In May 2026, CDOC and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) launched the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Virtual Reality Training Initiative, funded by an $800,000 federal grant. Colorado's DOC is the only parole department in the country to receive this specific grant.
The programme equips CPOs with immersive, multi-user VR headset training focused on de-escalation and decision-making. Officers run through realistic scenarios simulating interactions with individuals in crisis, including people with physical, intellectual, and cognitive disabilities, and those experiencing mental health or substance use crises.
The system accommodates multiple officers participating simultaneously and is designed to flow without interruption, allowing officers to react in real time rather than working through the stop-start pauses typical of conventional role-play training. The training is applicable to both new recruits and veteran officers, reinforcing that verbal communication is the primary tool in any encounter.
Academic partnership and evaluation
UCCS brings a 20-year research relationship with CDOC to this initiative. The UCCS College of Public Service is conducting a rigorous field evaluation, analysing officer feedback and case management data to measure real-world impact on officer safety and decision-making. Findings are intended to inform CDOC's ongoing use of the technology and to serve as a reference for other states.
Outcomes
No quantitative outcome data had been published at the time of reporting. The UCCS field evaluation is ongoing.
