prison
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The 20-minute lifeline: Colorado’s federal court eyes a new program to aid those behind bars | COVER STORY
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With nearly two dozen state prisons and multiple federal facilities in Colorado, federal judges routinely hear lawsuits from incarcerated men and women alleging violations of their rights. The claims range from excessive force and indifference to medical needs to unconstitutional infringements on prisoners’ religious exercise. For the most part, the plaintiffs do not have a…
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Federal judge allows 2 inmates to sue over lack of access to sex offender treatment
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Two men incarcerated for sex offenses, who have been moved around to various facilities where they were unable to participate in legally required treatment, may sue Colorado corrections officials for violating their constitutional rights, a federal judge ruled this week. Gino Lerner and Brian Aigner filed suit last year, alleging the only thing preventing them…
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Colorado moves to limit use of four-point restraints in prisons
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In Colorado prisons, inmates deemed to be a threat to themselves or others are often strapped to a bed by their arms and legs with metal restraints, left alone for hours or even days in this position. In at least one instance, a person was kept in these restraints for 39 days straight in the Colorado…
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Divided appeals court OK’s corrections department’s violation of speedy trial law
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Colorado’s second-highest court last month declined to overturn a man’s Arapahoe County convictions, while acknowledging the head of the Colorado Department of Corrections failed to follow a law designed to give detainees a speedy trial. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals noted the department’s then-executive director, Rick Raemisch, did not forward to the…
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Colorado reduces prison sentences for inmates pursuing higher education
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Colorado has among the worst recidivism rates in the country, with more than 50% of people released from prison ending up back behind bars within three years. Now, the state is taking a new approach to address the issue by incentivizing prisoners to pursue higher education. House Bill 1037 reduces prison sentences for non-violent offenders who complete higher…
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Federal judge tosses lawsuit of ex-prison employee offended by diversity training
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A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit of a former corrections official offended by the state’s diversity, equity and inclusion training, and claimed it amounted to a hostile work environment. Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang found the contents of Joshua F. Young’s complaint failed to show how a computer-based module…
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House passes bill to reduce prison sentences for inmates pursuing higher education
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An effort to incentivize Colorado prisoners to pursue higher education took a major step forward on Tuesday, receiving near-unanimous approval from the state House of Representatives. House Bill 1037 would deduct six months from an inmate’s prison sentence for earning a certificate while incarcerated, one year for an associate or bachelor’s degree, 18 months for a master’s degree…
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10th Circuit reinstates inmate’s lawsuit against prison staff for alleged assault
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The federal appeals court based in Denver has revived an inmate’s cruel and unusual punishment claim against two state prison personnel, finding Jabari J. Johnson had plausibly alleged the defendants exacerbated his existing injuries when they reportedly stomped on and slammed him. Johnson and the Colorado Department of Corrections had argued over whether the Prison…
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Bennet, Hickenlooper call for increased employee pay in Colorado Supermax prison
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Colorado U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper sent a letter to federal officials Monday, urging them to address understaffing and poor working conditions in the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence. FCC Florence – the nation’s only federal Supermax prison – has been short staffed for more than a year and is currently short by…
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Appeals court finds Fremont County judge wrongfully excluded evidence of prison culture from trial
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A Fremont County judge wrongly excluded expert testimony about prison culture from a criminal trial, including an inmate’s incentive not to “snitch,” the state’s Court of Appeals ruled last week. Because the testimony would have cast doubt on the defendant’s confession to possessing contraband in prison, the appellate court ordered a new trial for Jeremy…