Federal Investigation Targets Colorado’s Prison Policies and Youth Facility Failures

By: Cleo Westin | The Gazette

The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into possible constitutional violations of Colorado prisoners through inadequate treatment and transgender housing policy, according to a release by the agency.

The department’s letter of notice to Gov. Jared Polis on Monday identified housing “biological males” in female units in violation of religious freedom, inadequate medical care, excessive force and inadequate nutrition in youth facilities as matters it will investigate.

The Department of Justice’s action to investigate aspects of an entire state’s prison system appears to be the first of its kind in 2025. It comes following a 2024 settlement on the treatment of transgender prisoners and several reports of inadequate care at prisons and youth facilities across the Centennial State.

A settlement in a class action lawsuit brought on by incarcerated trans women in 2019 led to mandated changes in policy and housing for the few hundred Colorado transgender inmates, according to reporting by Gazette news partner 9News in 2024. The consent decree ordered the creation of a 100-bed facility for trans women at Sterling Correctional Facility and a 40-bed integration space at Denver Women’s Correctional Facility.

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