No adult felony violent or sex offender shall be placed by the department in a minimum security facility located in any county without first having been placed in at least one more restrictive setting for not less than six months. Said six-month time period shall include any time spent by the inmate in any diagnostic unit operated by the department. The six-month requirement may be waived only with the approval of the executive director.
C.R.S. § 17-25-103