Colorado Inmates Accuse the State of Violating a Constitutional Ban on Forced Work
Two Colorado inmates who say they were pressured into working despite health concerns are suing the state’s prison system, saying it’s violating a constitutional ban on slavery and involuntary servitude.
In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Denver, Harold Mortis and Richard Lilgerose say they effectively had days added to their sentences when they initially refused to work in 2020 because they lost time credits for not following prison rules. They were also threatened with being placed in isolation for most of the day, with limits on phone calls and family visits, and both resumed work in their prison’s kitchen to avoid further sanctions, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit asks that a judge bar the state from forcing inmates to work and to make the case a class action lawsuit, allowing other inmates to join.
