This report examines past and continued use of solitary confinement by the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) to manage mentally ill prisoners; considers the moral, fiscal, safety and legal implications of CDOC’s continued warehousing of mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement; and makes recommendations to bring Colorado’s prisons in line with modern psychiatric, correctional and legal standards. The report draws on 18 months of research by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Colorado, which included correspondence with mentally ill prisoners housed in solitary confinement by CDOC; analysis of data provided by the CDOC in response to over a dozen public records requests by the ACLU, as well as other publicly available CDOC records; in-depth review of several prisoner mental health files; extensive written and in-person dialogue with CDOC’s executive team; on site visits to CDOC; and multiple consultations with correctional and psychiatric experts.

Date

Saturday, June 1, 2013 - 10:15am

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Colorado’s municipal courts operate in the shadow of state law, with little meaningful statewide oversight or accountability. Without such oversight, Colorado municipal court judges function largely unchecked as they determine daily how their city will mete out justice. While some Colorado municipal judges are actively working to improve the quality and fairness of their courts, others run their courtroom like a fiefdom, trampling on the rights of criminal defendants—especially those living in poverty—with impunity.

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Thursday, October 5, 2017 - 10:15am

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In This Issue:

  • Solitary at El Pueblo
  • A Letter from Executive Director, Nathan Woodliff-Stanley
  • Meet the Newest Members of Our Team
  • Chapter News
  • ACLU in the Courts
  • ACLU in the Community
  • ACLU at the Capitol
  • Trailblazers of Liberty

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Saturday, June 1, 2013 - 10:15am

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LGBTQ+ Equality Voting Rights Criminal Legal Reform Women’s Rights Student and Youth Rights Racial Justice

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