While perusing the internet for documented issues occurring specifically in El Paso County Jail, I came across an ACLU article which claimed that the guards had started their own "fight club" in order to provide incentive to guards to use force against inmates. It isn't that the guards were fighting each other in the basement - this was merely a name that was given to the club which had been formed in order to reward physical force used on inmates. Don't believe me?

"...in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado, Sheriff’s Deputy Sandra Rincon was celebrated with a tiara, a “princess” plate, and a cake with the number “50” on top. The number, however, wasn’t her age. It referred to the number of times she had used force against prisoners, ranging from handcuffing to punching and kicking. She was the winner of what one of the county jailers called a “fight club,” crowning whoever used force most often as the champion." Nathan Woodliff-Stanley and Denise Maes, ACLU, 2018

According to the article, the investigation was of course anything but thorough and resulted in practically no disciplinary action to those involved. Read more on the Gazette website or at the ACLU website.

This of course, is a horrifying example of the culture which is pervasive within EPCJ. Is this still going on, and who would enjoy doing this? Apparently, this is the kind of person who is "guarding" our loved ones who are stuck in incarceration.

So again I ask, is this still happening? Tell us your thoughts, comments, and as always, PLEASE share the petition located at https://www.change.org/BodyCamsOnJailGuards If you haven't signed yet, please sign and if you have a story to share, share it! Thanks again for your support!