Category Archives: News

April 3, 2020 DENVER – The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar and the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel filed two emergency petitions today asking the Colorado Supreme Court to take immediate action to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Colorado jails by issuing a directive that lower courts are to do their part to safely reduce the number of people who are incarcerated during this crisis. The petitions ask the Court to immediately issue guidance to safely.... | Read More

Visit our Census 2020 homepage. [gravityform id="15" title="true" description="true"] Help us encourage Coloradans in Hard to Count communities (HTC) across the state to participate in the 2020 Census. In the past, Hard to Count communities such as those experiencing homelessness, immigrant communities, people of color, and LGBTQ+ folks have been severely undercounted resulting in a disproportionate distribution of federal funding that goes towards programs such as health.... | Read More

On my last day at the ACLU of Colorado, I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to have led this essential, impactful organization for the last 7 ½ years. I had no idea I would be leaving in the middle of a pandemic, but even this crisis illustrates the critical work of the ACLU, where we have sought to reduce immediately the crowding of people in jails, prisons, and detention centers, protecting people’s rights along with public health simultaneously. As the current crisis evolves,.... | Read More

STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN COLORADO JAILS AND PRISONS Experts are sounding the alarm of the public health threat that prisons and jails pose during this pandemic. There is a heightened risk of infection for people who are involved in the criminal legal system – people living in it, people working in it, and the communities they return home to. It is not a question of  if  the COVID-19 virus will take hold in Colorado’s prisons and jails; it’s a matter of when. We need everyone's.... | Read More

March 26, 2020 DENVER – ACLU of Colorado called on all Colorado sheriffs to collectively help stop the spread of COVID-19 by safely and swiftly reducing the jail population. In a letter that went out to sheriffs in 52 counties throughout the state, ACLU of Colorado cited the medical necessity of drastically reducing community spread in county jails as a matter of public health and constitutional duty.  “This epidemic has the potential to become the Coming Prison Plague,” Dr. Franco-Paredes,.... | Read More

March 25, 2020 Statement by: ACLU of Colorado, Office of the State Public Defender, Office of Alternate Defense Counsel, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Denver Municipal Public Defender, Colorado Freedom Fund and Office of Respondent Parent Counsel. On March 17, nine criminal justice and indigent defense organizations  sent a letter to Governor Polis and Chief Justice Coats, among others, urging immediate action to address the heightened risk of COVID-19 spreading to incarcerated.... | Read More

Even in the midst of coronavirus shut-downs, we have an opportunity today to celebrate. Today, Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 100 repealing the death penalty in Colorado and clearing death row. This long-overdue achievement makes Colorado the 22nd state to repeal the death penalty, finally ending this broken, costly, and unjust system in our state. As I complete my last month as Executive Director of the ACLU of Colorado after almost eight years in this position, I am particularly happy.... | Read More

March 19, 2020 DENVER — Today a coalition of organizations sent a letter to Colorado juvenile justice officials outlining immediate actions to take to protect incarcerated children. As these youth are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asking system actors to respond swiftly to recommendations put forth by public health experts — specifically calling for the immediate release of youth identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as vulnerable, as.... | Read More

March 17, 2020 DENVER – With the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus/COVID-19 climbing in Colorado, several organizations called on Governor Polis, State Court Administrator Vasconcellos, and Chief Justice Coats, as well as the Colorado Department of Corrections, the Colorado Parole Board and the Colorado Department of Safety, to take immediate action to protect the lives of vulnerable inmates, guards, correctional and court staff, attorneys, probation officers, parole officers, their families.... | Read More

To protect our staff and the public from the COVID-19 coronavirus, staff of the ACLU of Colorado will be working from home for at least the next two weeks starting Monday, March 16. Please do not come to our office, which will be closed, but be assured that we will still be working hard to protect civil rights and civil liberties in Colorado. Your patience is appreciated with any returned deliveries or delays in processing of mail. For legal intakes, you are encouraged to use our web-based form if.... | Read More