Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill into law that will increase the number of young people Colorado can hold in pre-trial detention facilities in emergencies.
Current law allows the state to detain up to 215 teens at any one time, with 22 emergency beds that don’t count towards the bed cap. House Bill 1146 keeps the 215 number the same, but adds an additional 17 emergency beds. These beds can be used only when the state reaches its 215-bed limit.
The Colorado District Attorneys’ Council spearheaded the bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, and Dan Woog, R-Frederick, and Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Judy Amabile, D-Boulder.
The DA group originally wanted to bump the number of detained youth up to 324, a hike that received forceful pushback from juvenile justice advocates.
Prosecutors argued the state doesn’t have enough beds to house violent youth offenders awaiting trial.
Since fiscal year 2021, detained youth admissions with violent charges have increased by 49%, and admissions for homicide or manslaughter have risen by 80%, state figures show. As a result, prosecutors say, authorities have been forced to release teens who might otherwise be deemed a danger to the public to free up spots for someone else.
Critics countered that the lack of safety in these facilities — highlighted by The Denver Post in March — proves the state should not be dramatically increasing the bed count.
The legislation also includes a body-worn camera pilot program for juvenile detention and commitment staff. The test program in one youth detention facility and one commitment facility requires every staff member who is responsible for the direct supervision of youth to wear a body camera while interacting with them.
The program will be implemented from January 2026 through December 2028. The Colorado Department of Human Services will then recommend whether to continue and expand the program, or eliminate it.
The body-camera addition comes after a Post investigation found widespread allegations of excessive force by staff in the state’s 14 juvenile detention facilities. A year’s worth of internal incident reports reviewed by The Post showed teens suffered broken bones, sustained concussions and overdosed on drugs in these secure centers.
Colorado’s child protection ombudsman, tasked with investigating child safety concerns, has been calling since last year for the state to add body-worn cameras for staff in juvenile detention. Currently, facilities are equipped with video but no audio, making it impossible for investigators to determine whether verbal altercations contributed to excessive force or restraint incidents.
The bill also creates a deflection and community investment grant program. The three-year initiative will provide money to community organizations to implement a system of trauma-informed health development programs designed to divert young people away from the criminal justice system and into treatment and support services.
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Updated 11:30 a.m. June 3, 2025: Because the bill’s summary was not updated to reflect legislative changes, this story originally misreported the final language of House Bill 1146. The new law does not increase the state’s youth detention total bed cap, but does add emergency beds.
