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HB 1123 CO
Became Law

Preventing Sexual Abuse in Jails

CO · session 2026A · Assembly / House · bill

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Introduced Feb 4, 2026

Latest action (May 27, 2026) Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Summary

This bill establishes comprehensive protections and procedures for Colorado jails to prevent and respond to sexual abuse. It restricts when strip searches can be conducted, requires documentation and body-worn camera recording of searches, and mandates facility policies for responding to reported sexual abuse. The bill requires jails to designate a PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) coordinator, inform prisoners of their rights and advocacy resources, and create whistleblower protections for staff who report sexual abuse or harassment. It also establishes that peace officers found to have sexually abused prisoners lose their state certification and creates a private right of action for staff subject to retaliation for reporting sexual abuse.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill (from the OpenStates abstract — no full text available yet) — neutral, and may be imperfect.

Official abstract

The act permits a county or municipal jail (local detention facility) to conduct a strip search of a person who is detained in the local detention facility, only:When the facility is conducting intake of the detained person who has come in from outside the facility and a strip search upon intake is part of the detention facility's policy;When 2 personnel of the facility have determined and reasonably believe the detained person is concealing a controlled substance, a dangerous instrument, or contraband; or Under a circumstance or set of conditions in which there has been a prior incident of possession of a controlled substance, a dangerous instrument, contraband, or any other item that creates grave danger to property or injury to persons and substantially obstructs the performance of the institutional functions of the local detention facility, the circumstance or set of conditions give rise to a substantial likelihood that a similar incident may occur again, and the local detention facility has a written policy authorizing a strip search under the circumstances or set of conditions.     The act requires that each local detention facility document the number of, reason for, and results of a strip search in a report that each facility must submit annually to the jail standards advisory committee and the Colorado attorney general. The act requires detention facility personnel to record strip searches via body-worn camera and limits access to the recordings. The act requires each sheriff to coordinate with the sheriff's body-worn camera vendor to implement a tag for strip searches in body-worn camera footage tagging options and ensure that strip search footage has the most restrictive level of access available within the sheriff's body-worn camera system.     The act requires local detention facilities to have a policy detailing staff protocol for responding to suspected, alleged, or witnessed sexual abuse and requires staff to report suspected, alleged, or witnessed sexual abuse. The act creates whistleblower protection policies for jail staff and creates a right of action against a local detention facility for a staff member who was subject to an adverse employment action because the staff member disclosed information to the proper supervising authority about sexual abuse or sex-based harassment in the local detention facility.     The act requires local detention facilities to inform prisoners of their rights and the resources available to them if they are a victim of sexual abuse while in jail and allow sexual assault advocates to access prisoners who request advocacy services. The act requires local detention facilities to designate a 'Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003' (PREA) coordinator and requires jails to provide the coordinator's contact information to prisoners and the public.     The act requires the removal of peace officers standards and training board (P.O.S.T. board) certification from any peace officer who is found by an administrative law judge, hearing officer, or internal investigation to have sexually abused a prisoner in a local detention facility.     The act appropriates $38,916 to the department of law from the P.O.S.T. board cash fund for P.O.S.T. board support.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Sponsors (5)

32 coauthors / cosponsors

Action history (21)

  1. May 27, 2026 Governor Signed · executive
  2. May 20, 2026 Sent to the Governor · executive
  3. May 20, 2026 Signed by the President of the Senate · upper
  4. May 20, 2026 Signed by the Speaker of the House · lower
  5. May 7, 2026 House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass · lower
  6. May 6, 2026 House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily · lower
  7. May 5, 2026 Senate Third Reading Passed with Amendments - Floor · upper
  8. May 4, 2026 Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor · upper
  9. May 1, 2026 Senate Second Reading Laid Over to 05/04/2026 - No Amendments · upper
  10. Apr 30, 2026 Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments · upper
  11. Apr 28, 2026 Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole · upper
  12. Apr 22, 2026 Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Appropriations · upper
  13. Apr 8, 2026 Senate Committee on Judiciary Lay Over Unamended - Amendment(s) Failed · upper
  14. Apr 6, 2026 Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary · upper
  15. Apr 2, 2026 House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments · lower
  16. Apr 1, 2026 House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments · lower
  17. Mar 31, 2026 House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor · lower
  18. Mar 24, 2026 House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments · lower
  19. Mar 20, 2026 House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole · lower
  20. Mar 11, 2026 House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Appropriations · lower
  21. Feb 4, 2026 Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary · lower
Subjects
Crimes, Corrections, & Enforcement

Full text

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