March 19, 2026
Children in juvenile detention facilities in Colorado are being held for weeks or months, in violation of their constitutional and other legal rights, according to a federal class-action lawsuit filed by multiple nonprofits.
The lawsuit names Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Michelle Barnes, executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, as defendants, claiming that, for years, state officials have known that they’re harming already vulnerable children by keeping them in detention, even after judges have said they should be released.