World News
Colorado is setting standards for its prisons for the first time
For the first time in the state’s history, Colorado’s prison system will soon be required to follow a minimum set of standards and conduct regular inspections of their facilities under a new oversight program signed into law Monday.
A group of attorneys, law enforcement officials, attorneys and experts have been working on the standards since 2022, when the Legislature approved a framework to oversee the state’s more than 50 prisons and the thousands of people incarcerated within them. The standards establish baselines for a spectrum of prison conditions, including prenatal care for pregnant women, the use of force against prisoners, and the fundamental rights of those in prisons.
The standards were approved late last year, and in May the Legislature passed a law establishing those standards and establishing an oversight process. Gov. Jared Polis then signed it Monday. The bill was sponsored by Democratic Representatives Judy Amabile and Lorena Garcia and Sens. James Coleman and Rhonda Fields.
Although the legislature has increasingly attempted to regulate jail and prison operations, the state has never before had a uniform set of standards or mechanisms for overseeing prison conditions. Advocates have said that problems in prisons usually only come to light through lawsuits.
“The framework we have created will serve as a foundation for more work in the future to continue to improve our prisons, both for the benefit of those in prison and the staff who work in prisons,” said Meghan Baker , disability law attorney. Colorado, which led the standards-setting process, said in a statement Tuesday.
The standards will be overseen by an advisory committee made up of law enforcement officials, two county commissioners, a public defender, a health care provider with experience in prisons and an attorney. Prisons will be reviewed for compliance at least every five years, although Colorado’s attorney general can make special reviews of individual facilities based on complaints.
Stay up to date on Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
