DENVER – More than two dozen people have sued the Denver Sheriff Department, claiming they were exposed to the coronavirus while incarcerated, a newspaper reported.
Most of the federal lawsuits, largely handwritten, were filed without the help of attorneys since the beginning of the year, The Denver Post reported Thursday.
The lawsuits claim inmates are unable to socially distance, deputies inside the jail fail to wear masks and new inmates are housed without being tested.
“I contracted the COVID-19 virus due to them not upholding social distancing, having four men in one eight-man cell,” Johnny Hurley said in one complaint. “The department has no right to expose us to severe illness that could result in death and long-term side effects.”
Mark Silverstein, a legal director at the ACLU of Colorado, said the lawsuits are unlikely to succeed because the inmates face numerous challenges in court without attorneys. But the legal actions do highlight the ongoing struggles faced in jails and prisons throughout the pandemic, he said.
“An inmate who is concerned about taking all COVID precautions just can’t do it in a jail,” he said.
Department data show the Van Cise-Simonet Downtown Detention Center and the Denver County Jail have reported 975 COVID-19 cases in incarcerated people since the pandemic began in March, with case spikes in May and December. However, the state health department reported a total of 1,210 COVID-19 cases in the two facilities.
Denver Sheriff Department spokeswoman Daria Serna said the department has taken a variety of precautions against COVID-19, including testing and providing masks. The city attorney’s office did not return a request for comment about the lawsuits.
