Over 1,000 times in just nine months, staff at Colorado’s juvenile detention centers violated their own policies during invasive strip searches of minors. These weren’t rare or technical errors — they were widespread breaches of basic protections for some of the state’s most vulnerable youth.

According to a new report from the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman, the vast majority of these searches turned up nothing. In some cases, children were searched multiple times in one day. One 14-year-old was held in isolation for over 10 hours until he consented to being stripped. In another case, five kids were searched because staff suspected one of them might have had a vape pen. This isn’t safety. It’s systemic failure.

Strip searches are inherently traumatic, and especially so for teenagers — many of whom have already experienced abuse or neglect. Yet the Division of Youth Services (DYS) failed again and again to properly document the searches, record supervisor approval, or ensure that staff followed minimum procedural safeguards.

We call on the Colorado Department of Human Services and the Division of Youth Services to immediately take the following actions:

• Investigate and hold accountable all staff involved in policy-violating strip searches.
• Ban any strip searches conducted without proper documentation, oversight, or immediate safety justification.
• Implement trauma-informed alternatives like scanners or detectors whenever possible.
• Replace handwritten search logs with a secure, digital tracking system reviewed by an independent oversight body.

These kids are in state custody — and the state has a duty to protect, not retraumatize them. Safety inside detention facilities should never come at the cost of human rights.

Colorado cannot look the other way. These violations demand accountability, and these youth deserve protection. Sign this petition to demand immediate action from state leaders to end harmful, unjustified strip searches in our juvenile justice system.

Photo via Denver Post