Court Cases

With the assistance of the ACLU of Colorado, a prisoner in Fremont Correctional Facility was able to receive new, unused colostomy bags as required by his physician.

In response to a letter from the ACLU of Colorado, the Boulder County Sheriff made improvements to a computer database to lessen the chance that persons would be wrongfully arrested for tickets they had already paid.

At its core, religion is a personal choice. Yet for prisoners in an El Paso County Jail, until recent intervention by the ACLU of Colorado, faith wasn't enough. For inmates whose religious beliefs extended to their meals, i.e. keeping kosher, halal, or vegetarian, simply stating a need for a particular diet was insufficient. They had to provide a letter from a “licensed/ordained clergy person” confirming their status as a practicing member of the faith before the jail would serve them religious meals.

A months-long ACLU investigation resulted in a resounding success for basic human rights and dignity for persons charged with crimes in Weld County.

This case raises the question of when, if ever, a victim of domestic violence who obtains a court order of protection can sue for damages caused by the failure of police officers who ignore repeated pleas to enforce that order.