Justice Department Opens Civil-Rights Investigation of Colorado Prisons and Youth Facilities

Overview

• The Civil Rights Division announced a probe of Colorado’s Department of Corrections and Department of Youth Services to assess compliance with constitutional and federal protections.
• The DOJ’s letter to Gov. Jared Polis outlines inquiries into prison medical care and sanitary conditions, protections for youth from excessive force, adequate nutrition in youth centers, and whether housing biological males in female units burdens religious exercise.
• The department is investigating under CRIPA, RLUIPA for DOC, and 34 U.S.C. § 12601 for DYS, and it has not reached any conclusions.
• Coverage of the letter reports the review spans 21 DOC facilities (19 state-run and two private) and 12 residential youth centers, and the DOJ invited tips at civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
• Officials signaled a preference to work with Colorado on fixes, state agencies said they are reviewing the notice, and the move follows local reporting on youth weight loss and a malnutrition hospitalization, with separate Tina Peters custody disputes noted by outlets but not cited in the DOJ letter.