March 23, 2026
A class action suit accuses Colorado of detaining children past release orders, citing a lack of community placements and worsening conditions in juvenile centers.
DENVER — A class action lawsuit filed against the state of Colorado alleges that hundreds of children have been held in juvenile detention facilities weeks or months after judges ordered their release, with advocates arguing the state has failed to provide the community-based placements and services required to free them.
The suit, filed March 18 in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, names Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Human Services Executive Director Michelle Barnes as defendants. It was brought on behalf of two named plaintiffs — a 17-year-old and a 12-year-old — and all similarly situated youth held in Colorado Division of Youth Services secure detention facilities who have been deemed releasable by a juvenile court judge.