Denver Contract Detention Facility

As of 2022, there had been three deaths of detainees at the facility.^[9]

In 2017, 64-year-old detainee Kamyar Samimi died after two weeks in the Aurora detention facility. Samimi had been receiving methadone treatment for two decades to manage his opioid addiction, but was denied access to the drug once detained.^[10] According to a review of records by Colorado Public Radio, as Samimi underwent withdrawal, medical staff in the facility skipped multiple medical checks on him and "used a withdrawal protocol for alcohol — not opioids."^[10] The American Civil Liberties Union filed a wrongful death lawsuit in September 2019 in his case.^[11][12]

In 2022, 39-year-old detainee Melvin Ariel Calero Mendoza died of a pulmonary embolism while detained at the Aurora facility.^[10] Records showed that Calero-Mendoza "had been complaining for weeks about pain and swelling in his leg." In a 911 call after the prisoner collapsed, a facility employee failed to share specifics on the man's medical condition, misstated the facility access and put the 911 dispatcher on hold.^[10] An attorney for the family stated, "The depth of indifference that this caller displayed was shocking. The family is disappointed and horrified by this call."^[10]

In March 2026, a coalition of groups, including the American Friends Service Committee, issued a report on conditions in the Aurora facility based on the testimony of 31 detainees. The report alleged neglect of physical and mental health conditions, malnutrition, extreme temperatures, physical and emotional abuse, and forced labor. The GEO Group denied the accusations.^[13]