Coloradans have the right to safe, humane, and lawful jail facilities, regardless of where they’re held. However, the state law requiring jails in Colorado to meet those basic standards doesn’t apply to all the jail facilities in our state including the jail located in my home city of Aurora. That’s why I’m sponsoring HB26-1039, which requires municipal jails to follow the same standards as their county jail counterparts.
I’ve spent my legal career in Colorado’s jails, defending the accused and fighting for their constitutional rights. For years, when I visited loved ones back home, those visits were to a local jail. I have witnessed the unlawful conditions that our fellow Coloradans are often subjected to when they are being held inside those jail walls, and I’ve seen the impacts of the state’s decision that certain people shouldn’t have the protection of common decency. Many people who are detained are faced with roadblocks when trying to reach their counsel, and many are cut off from accessing healthcare.
Prior to 2022, Colorado’s county jails operated under a largely independent patchwork of standards. To increase equitable treatment throughout the county system, Governor Jared Polis signed HB22-1063 into law, which established a statewide Jail Standards Commission to issue uniform guidelines for the safe and just operation of county jails. The bill, however, did not include municipal level jails.
The standards are guided by the belief that “persons experiencing incarceration shall be treated humanely with dignity and respect.” They ensure that people in jail have access to privileged communications with their attorneys, access to medication, healthcare, pre- and post-natal care, nutritionally appropriate meals, safety, and reasonable access to media and recreation. These are basic conditions that help jails maintain the constitutional rights of those held behind bars. These guidelines must apply to any facility that operates as a jail, correctional facility, or detention facility — regardless of which governmental entity operates it.
Currently, Aurora is the only municipality in Colorado that operates its own jail.
Read the full opinion piece on the Colorado Politics website