The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced Monday that it has opened a civil investigation into conditions within facilities operated by the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) and Colorado Department of Youth Services (DYS) due to the treatment of former Republican clerk and recorder in Mesa County, Tina Peters.

Peters, 70, was sentenced to a whopping nine years in prison after she was convicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts relating to a “security breach” surrounding the state’s voting data in 2021. During a statewide software update ordered by Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Peters allegedly allowed an unauthorized individual to access secure election systems and create copies of hard drives containing 2020 election data.

During sentencing in 2024, Judge Matthew Barrett erupted into a partisan tirade against Peters in which he accused her of “betraying her oath,” essentially stating that he was handing down a harsh sentence specifically because of her position.

Critics, including President Donald Trump, have argued that the Peters prosecution is politically motivated, stating that she was only acting within her duties as county clerk to document allegations of voter fraud. She has appealed the conviction, which was recently denied, and remains incarcerated at La Vista Correctional Facility, where she has reported health issues, including lung cancer, and recent placement in solitary confinement.

Tina Peters speaks with local outlet KREX 5 in 2021

On Monday, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division announced that an investigation had been opened into Colorado’s prison system due tot he treatment of Peters.

According to the DOJ, the investigation will examine the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) and Colorado Department of Youth Services (DYS) policies and practices to ensure that DOC inmates and youths in the custody of DYS are being afforded their rights under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

“The Constitution protects every American, whether they are a young person confined in a juvenile facility or an elderly person confined to a prison,” Dhillon said.“We are committed to upholding our federal civil rights laws so that no one is subject to unconstitutional mistreatment when held in state custody.”

Under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), the DOJ said it has the authority to investigate violations of prisoners’ constitutional rights that result from a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of such rights,” The Hill reported.

The DOJ added that it has conducted investigations of numerous correctional facilities under CRPIA in the past, leading to important reforms when violations have been found. Dhillon further announced that the DOJ will also investigate DOC under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, and DYS under Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

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