Criminal Legal Reform

The Constitution protects every person’s right to due process of law and humane treatment during incarceration regardless of race, socioeconomic status, age, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

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Criminal Legal Reform is part of ACLU of Colorado's Campaign for Smart Justice.

The Constitution protects every person’s right to due process of law and humane treatment during incarceration regardless of race, socioeconomic status, age, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

The ACLU has long been at the forefront of challenging police abuses and failures of the criminal justice system to protect due process rights. We work to ensure that constitutional rights apply to all, regardless of race, ethnicity or economics.

We are committed to comprehensive reform of our criminal legal system, including preventing unnecessary involvement of juveniles in the system, ending racial profiling, re-thinking overly harsh mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws, ensuring adequate representation for people accused of crimes, diverting substance abusers from prisons to treatment, respecting the human and constitutional rights of people in our correctional facilities, advocating for dignified community re-entry, and ending the broken death penalty system.

The Latest

Press Release
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Federal Judge Rules ICE Violated Court Order, Requires More Oversight and Training

Judge concludes that ICE agents continued conducting unlawful warrantless arrests in Colorado despite a November 2025 preliminary injunction forbidding this conduct.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Justice, Government Transparency, Criminal Legal Reform
Court Cases: Ramirez Ovando, et al. v. Noem, et al.
News & Commentary
Protestor holding sign with text saying No Kings in America

Coloradans Constitutional Rights Remain at Risk of Violations by Federal Officials After No Kings Act Fails in Committee

No one is above the law, not even the federal government, and this bill would have closed the accountability gap that allows federal officials and law enforcement to violate Coloradans’ constitutional rights with no consequences.
News & Commentary
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Advocates Urge Colorado Towns and Cities to Conform Local Jail Sentences to Comply with State Law

ACLU of Colorado and Colorado Freedom Fund (CFF) sent a letter to municipal councils following a recent Colorado Supreme Court decision that determined local sentences harsher than those outlined in state law for the same conduct are illegal and unenforceable.
Press Release
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Colorado Confines Hundreds of Children in Dangerous Detention Facilities Instead of Providing Legally Required Community Services, Lawsuit Alleges

Harms disproportionately affect youth with disabilities and those in the foster system
Issue Areas: Student and Youth Rights, Criminal Legal Reform
Legislation
May 04, 2026

SB26-176 State Remedies for Constitutional Rights Violation

AKA No Kings Act: A person who, under color of any law, subjects, or causes to be subjected, another person to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the United States constitution is liable to the injured party for legal or equitable relief.
Status: Postponed indefinitely
Position: Support
Legislation
Mar 11, 2026

SB26-097 Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity

The bill requires the statewide decriminalization of commercial sexual activity among consenting adults.
Status: Postponed indefinitely
Position: Support
Legislation
May 07, 2026

SB26-005 Rights Violation in Immigration Enforcement Remedy

The bill creates a statutory cause of action for a person who is injured during a civil immigration enforcement action by another person who, whether or not under color of law, violates the United States constitution while participating in civil immigration enforcement.
Status: Awaiting Governor Signature
Position: Support
Legislation
Mar 27, 2026

HB26-1039 Adding Municipal Jails to County Jail Oversight Requirements

The bill requires municipal jails to comply with existing jail data collection requirements, standards, and oversight. The bill limits a municipal jail to holding a person for no longer than 72 hours.
Status: Signed by governor
Position: Support