Iowa State Penitentiary

TRINIDAD, Colo. — A rapidly deteriorating prison population in Colorado is forcing state officials to consider closing prisons. Last year, the State Office of Planning and Budgeting hired CNA, a nonprofit consulting and research organization based in Alexandria, Va., to study the state’s prison facilities and correctional needs. Now the completion date for that report, June 30, is fast approaching and many citizens are becoming nervous in small towns that rely on prisons to support their shrinking economies.