Colorado Judge Rules Prison Labor Amounts to Involuntary Servitude

State's prisons unconstitutionally coerced inmates to work through severe punishments, court finds

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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A Denver District Court judge ruled that the Colorado Department of Corrections unconstitutionally coerced prison labor by levying severe punishments, including solitary confinement, against inmates who refused to work. The judge found this amounted to a system of involuntary servitude, which Colorado voters outlawed in 2018.

Why it matters

The ruling is a significant victory for prisoner rights advocates, who have long argued that forced prison labor violates constitutional prohibitions on slavery and involuntary servitude. It could set a precedent for challenges to similar labor practices in other state prison systems.

The details

The lawsuit was brought by the nonprofit law firm Towards Justice, which claimed the Department of Corrections' approach to prison labor amounted to involuntary servitude. The judge found the state's prisons created a "framework where failure to work triggers a sequence of restrictions that culminate in a more restrictive 'custody level' and physical isolation," effectively overriding the voluntariness of the inmates' labor.

  • The lawsuit was filed in 2022.
  • The trial took place in October of that year.
  • The judge issued the 61-page ruling on February 16, 2026.

The players

Judge Sarah Wallace

A Denver District Court judge who ruled that the Colorado Department of Corrections' prison labor practices amounted to unconstitutional involuntary servitude.

David Seligman

The head of Towards Justice, the nonprofit law firm that brought the lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Colorado Department of Corrections

The state agency that was found to have unconstitutionally coerced prison labor through severe punishments.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser

The state's top law enforcement official, whose office represented the Department of Corrections in the case.

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What they’re saying

“By creating a framework where failure to work triggers a sequence of restrictions that culminate in a more restrictive 'custody level' and physical isolation, CDOC has established a system of compulsion that overrides the voluntariness of the (prisoners') labor.”

— Judge Sarah Wallace (Denver Post)

“The machinery of coercion is not isolated, but is a pervasive and actively operationalized feature of CDOC's labor management. By consistently applying these policies, CDOC ensures the threat of punishment remains a credible and ever-present driver of inmate labor.”

— Judge Sarah Wallace (Denver Post)

What’s next

The Department of Corrections has 28 days to appeal the judge's order, which prohibits the use of solitary confinement longer than three days as punishment for refusing to work and bars the stacking of disciplinary infractions related to work refusal.

The takeaway

This ruling is a significant victory for prisoner rights advocates, who have long argued that forced prison labor amounts to a form of modern-day slavery. It could set an important precedent for challenging similar labor practices in other state prison systems across the country.