Colorado is one of the most significant reform stories in the country on solitary confinement. In 2011, more than 1,500 people -- about 7% of the state prison population -- were in some form of administrative segregation. By the time Rick Raemisch left as CDOC Director in 2018, that number had fallen below 200, less than 1% of the population. In October 2017, CDOC formally eliminated extended restrictive housing -- the Colorado term for long-term solitary confinement. Today, disciplinary restrictive housing in state prisons is capped at 15 days. People with serious mental illness cannot be placed in restrictive housing at all. There is no direct release from RH to the community; step-down programs are required.
On the local jail side, HB 21-1211 (effective in large jails July 2023) prohibits involuntary placement in restrictive housing for people who are seriously mentally ill, pregnant, juveniles, have dementia or traumatic brain injury, or have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Colorado was one of seven states identified by the Yale Liman Center as enacting solitary confinement provisions between 2021 and 2022 and continues to refine its approach.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) uses the term "Restrictive Housing" (RH), governed by CDOC Administrative Regulation 650-03. Prior terminology included "Extended Restrictive Housing" and "Administrative Segregation" -- both officially eliminated in October 2017. The CDOC also uses "Protective Custody" (AR 650-02) for people placed separately for their own safety.
In Colorado jails, the term "Restrictive Housing" is codified at C.R.S. Title 17, Article 26, Part 3, enacted by HB 21-1211.
Did Colorado End Solitary Confinement in State Prisons
Not entirely, but it came close. In October 2017, CDOC eliminated two key categories: "Extended Restrictive Housing" (which had been the Colorado version of long-term solitary confinement) and the old "Administrative Segregation" designation. What remains is short-term Restrictive Housing -- the maximum for disciplinary sanctions is 15 days.
The path there was a decade-long project under Directors Tom Clements (beginning reform in 2011 before his assassination in 2013) and Rick Raemisch (continuing from 2013 to 2018). The reforms included:
- Reducing the maximum RH term from 90 days (2013) to 60 days, then 30 days, then 15 days.
- Banning placement of seriously mentally ill (SMI) people in RH.
- Eliminating direct release from RH to the community.
- Building step-down programs to transition people from RH back to general population.
- Creating a Close Custody Special Management Control System as an alternative.
- Developing Residential Treatment Units (RTUs) for people with mental health and intellectual or developmental needs.
Rick Raemisch famously spent 20 hours alone in a cell to better understand the experience. He later wrote in a New York Times op-ed that data showed prisoners in solitary were more likely to reoffend after release -- a public safety argument, not just a humanitarian one.
Who Can Be Placed in Restrictive Housing in CDOC
Under current CDOC policy (AR 650-03), restrictive housing is used only when an individual poses a risk to others or to the security of the facility. It is a short-term measure, not an extended management strategy. The categories include:
Disciplinary RH: Following a guilty finding at a disciplinary hearing for a serious rule violation. Maximum 15 days.
Non-Disciplinary RH: For immediate safety or security concerns pending a hearing or investigation. Duration is limited and reviewed.
Protective Custody (AR 650-02): Voluntary or administrative separation from general population for a person facing threats to their safety.
People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI): Cannot be placed in RH at all under CDOC policy. This prohibition dates from the Raemisch-era reforms.
People receiving evaluation, care, or treatment for substance use: Prohibited from RH in Colorado; RH is limited to 48 consecutive hours if it must be used in these circumstances.
Conditions in Colorado Restrictive Housing
Because CDOC's restrictive housing is now short-term (15 days maximum for disciplinary), the conditions question is different from states where people spend months or years in isolation.
The CDOC's framework following the 2017 reforms emphasizes programming within restricted settings. The Close Custody Special Management Control System provides graduated levels of supervision and control based on the totality of risk, allowing people to progress through levels rather than sitting in isolated cells without activity.
The Residential Treatment Unit (RTU) program provides people with mental health disorders or intellectual and developmental needs with individual and group therapy, educational programs, recreational therapy, and activities to support their transition to general population.
For the short-term disciplinary RH that does remain, people are expected to have access to basic services. The CDOC's policy framework prohibits extended isolation.
HB 21-1211 and Colorado Jail Protections
For the local jail system -- which includes county jails and detention centers separate from CDOC's state prison system -- HB 21-1211 created specific legal protections effective July 2023 for jails with over 400 beds.
The law (codified at C.R.S. 17-26-301 et seq.) prohibits involuntary placement of the following people in restrictive housing:
- People diagnosed with a serious mental illness or showing grossly abnormal behavior indicating possible serious mental illness
- People who self-report serious mental illness or suicidality, or who exhibit self-harm (unless a mental health professional evaluates and finds no serious mental illness)
- People with significant auditory or visual impairment that cannot otherwise be accommodated
- Pregnant women or people in the postpartum period
- People significantly impaired by dementia or traumatic brain injury
- People under 18 years of age
- People with an intellectual or developmental disability
The exception: The prohibition does not apply when psychological distress is present AND the jail transferred the person to a healthcare facility AND the person was refused treatment or discharged AND the person poses an imminent danger AND no less restrictive option is available and the person is not responding to ongoing de-escalation. When this exception is used, jails must document the facts, notify medical/mental health staff within 12 hours, and follow additional procedural requirements.
This imminent danger exception remains a loophole that advocates have criticized as too broad -- particularly because people with mental illness are disproportionately placed in RH precisely during behavioral crises that can trigger the "imminent danger" standard.
Step-Down Programs
One of the most important structural reforms in Colorado is the prohibition on direct release from restrictive housing to the community. This practice -- releasing someone directly from solitary into the outside world with no transition -- was identified by research as increasing recidivism and harm. Colorado requires a step-down process: people must transition through general population before release.
The step-down model involves graduated movement from more to less restrictive settings with increasing programming and social contact. CDOC's policy (AR 650-03 and supporting ARs) requires this transition process.
Recent Legislative Activity
Colorado has continued to pass legislation in this area. The Unlock the Box Campaign identifies Colorado among the twelve states that passed restrictive housing legislation between July 2024 and July 2025. For current legislation, see the Colorado General Assembly's bill tracking at leg.colorado.gov.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in restrictive housing in a Colorado state prison or county jail:
Find your person's location. CDOC provides an offender search at doc.colorado.gov. For county jails, contact the specific county facility.
In state prisons: Restrictive housing at CDOC is now short-term (15-day maximum for disciplinary). If your person has been told they will be in RH for longer than 15 days, document this and raise it with classification staff. If your person has been diagnosed with serious mental illness, they should not be in RH at all under CDOC policy -- if they are, this is an issue to raise through the grievance process and with an attorney.
In county jails: If your person is in a jail with over 400 beds and meets any of the protected categories (SMI, suicidal, pregnant, under 18, dementia/TBI, intellectual/developmental disability), HB 21-1211 restricts their placement in RH. Contact the jail to inquire about the basis for any RH placement.
File a grievance. CDOC and county jails have administrative grievance processes. Help your person file a grievance if conditions are in violation of policy or law.
Contact the ACLU of Colorado. The ACLU of Colorado (aclu-co.org) has been involved in monitoring CDOC conditions and advocating for restrictive housing reform and may be able to provide referrals.
Contact Disability Law Colorado. For people with disabilities including serious mental illness who are in restrictive housing in potential violation of CDOC policy or HB 21-1211, Disability Law Colorado (disabilitylawco.org) provides civil rights legal advocacy.
Seek legal help. If your person is SMI and in RH in a CDOC state prison, or if your person is in a jail covered by HB 21-1211 and meets a protected category, these situations may implicate specific legal protections. Consult a prisoner rights attorney.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Colorado prisons?
CDOC uses "Restrictive Housing" (RH), governed by Administrative Regulation 650-03. The older terms "Extended Restrictive Housing" and "Administrative Segregation" were officially eliminated in October 2017. County jails use "Restrictive Housing" as defined in C.R.S. 17-26-301. "Protective Custody" (AR 650-02) is used for people placed separately for their own safety.
Did Colorado end solitary confinement in state prisons?
Largely, yes. In October 2017, CDOC eliminated extended restrictive housing and administrative segregation -- the forms of long-term solitary confinement. What remains is short-term disciplinary RH capped at 15 days. People with serious mental illness are entirely prohibited from RH. No one is released directly from RH to the community -- step-down to general population is required. This reform reduced the RH population from ~1,500 (7% of the population) in 2011 to under 200 (under 1%) by 2017.
Who can still be placed in restrictive housing in Colorado?
In CDOC state prisons, only people who pose an immediate safety or security risk, and only for up to 15 days for disciplinary infractions. People with Serious Mental Illness cannot be placed in RH at all. People receiving treatment for substance use can be placed in RH for no more than 48 consecutive hours. In large county jails, HB 21-1211 restricts RH for mentally ill, pregnant, juvenile, dementia/TBI, and intellectually or developmentally disabled individuals.
What are conditions like in Colorado restrictive housing?
Given the 15-day maximum for disciplinary RH, the conditions question is different from states with long-term isolation. CDOC's approach emphasizes programming within restricted settings, including the Close Custody Special Management Control System (a graduated alternative to isolation) and Residential Treatment Units (RTUs) for people with mental health or developmental needs. CDOC prohibits extended isolation without programming access.
How long can someone stay in RH in Colorado state prisons?
Disciplinary RH is capped at 15 days. Non-disciplinary RH (administrative, pending a hearing) is limited and regularly reviewed. There is no pathway in current CDOC policy to extended long-term isolation -- the Extended Restrictive Housing category was eliminated in October 2017. Extended periods in anything resembling solitary now require the progressive step-down model.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in CO?
Yes. Under CDOC policy, people with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) cannot be placed in Restrictive Housing in state prisons. For county jails with over 400 beds, HB 21-1211 prohibits involuntary RH placement for people with SMI (including those exhibiting serious mental illness symptoms or self-reporting suicidality) with a narrow imminent-danger exception. These protections are among the strongest in the country for this population.
What does Colorado's HB 21-1211 protect in jails?
HB 21-1211 (effective July 2023 for jails over 400 beds) prohibits involuntary restrictive housing placement for: people with serious mental illness or exhibiting symptoms; people who self-report SMI or suicidality; people with significant sensory impairments; pregnant or postpartum people; people with dementia or traumatic brain injury; people under 18; and people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The law includes a narrow imminent danger exception with documentation and notification requirements.
What is the step-down program in Colorado prisons?
Colorado requires that people in RH transition through a step-down process before release to the community -- they cannot be released directly from RH to the outside. The step-down model moves people gradually through less restrictive settings with increasing programming and social contact. CDOC also established Residential Treatment Units (RTUs) for people with mental health or developmental needs, providing therapy, education, and recreational programming as part of the transition back to general population.
Can families visit someone in Colorado restrictive housing?
Given the 15-day maximum for disciplinary RH, visiting restrictions are short-term. Contact the specific CDOC facility or county jail directly to confirm current visiting rules. CDOC facility contact information is at doc.colorado.gov. For county jails, contact the facility directly. Written mail retains stronger protections than phone or visits during RH.
What can families do if someone is in CO solitary?
Use CDOC's offender search at doc.colorado.gov to find your person's facility. If your person has SMI and is in RH in a state prison, this violates CDOC policy -- file a grievance and contact Disability Law Colorado (disabilitylawco.org). If your person is in a large county jail and is SMI, pregnant, under 18, or otherwise protected under HB 21-1211, inquire about the basis for their RH placement. Contact the ACLU of Colorado (aclu-co.org) for referrals. For RH exceeding the 15-day cap in state prison, document and consult a prisoner rights attorney. ---