Families frustrated after water shut off at CDOC complex
(CAÑON CITY, Colo.) — Family members of inmates inside a Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) complex in Fremont County are reporting rough conditions after a major leak forced the water to be shut off.
The East Cañon prison complex is located just outside Cañon City and includes the Colorado State Penitentiary, Four Mile, and Arrowhead correctional facilities. FOX21 News has received several tips from community members who have family inside the correctional facilities. They said their loved ones are not getting enough drinking water, are not allowed to shower, and if the inmates complain, they are threatened with being put in solitary confinement for 15 days.
“(My boyfriend) said there’s feces everywhere, even coming out of the toilets,” said Brianna Cinkosky, whose boyfriend is at the Four Mile correctional facility. “The inmates can’t flush the toilets, they can’t use any water. So while the guards have their porta-potties, the inmates aren’t being able to use the bathroom properly.”
The DOC said it has brought in drinking water and portable bathrooms for the 4,700 inmates and 622 staff members in the complex. However, Cinkosky and several others say staff are limiting access to water and bathrooms.
“(My boyfriend) said that he was asking the guards for water, they were only giving 16 ounces of water thus far and they’re supposed to have a gallon each,” Cinkosky explained. “They weren’t given that and he was taken back into the kitchen because they said that he was causing a ruckus over it. One of the guards got mad and (my boyfriend) went back up to his room and then four officers came up and took him down to the hole.”
Leak shuts off water to CDOC complex in Cañon City
FOX21 News heard a similar story from another family whose brother and two cousins are also locked up.
“They said they’re getting only two water bottles a day, about 10 hours apart, and they’re not taking showers,” Blanca Martinez said. “They can’t even wash their hands. People are getting thrown in the hole because they’re speaking up about the situation.”
FOX21 News reached out to the DOC about the claims from family members. They provided the following statement:
“Individuals are being provided approximately one gallon of water per day. External showering facilities are located at each facility, which individuals have the same amount of access to as they did showers inside the facility.”
Alondra Gonzalez, DOC Public Information Officer
Visitation at the complex is canceled indefinitely. The DOC said the issue is expected to be resolved in three to four days. Officials have not yet said what caused the leak or what repairs are being made.
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