Colorado is in the midst of a jail crisis. Across the state, jails are overcrowded, with several jails operating at 150 percent capacity with deplorable conditions. Yet the majority of people in those jails have not been convicted — they have been accused of a crime and are deemed to be innocent in the eyes of the law. Many will ultimately be exonerated. Many who are convicted will be sentenced …

A grizzled man politely stopped me as I left my office in Denver. He asked if I knew of a church nearby. He was sober and was asking for help, not money. He offered some context for his question. He had just been released after 25 years in prison, he explained. He had found a place to spend the night, but he didn’t have the $16 he needed to stay …