How we won in Colorado

This week, the Colorado Department of Corrections ended the requirement that people on parole attend Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or any other religious twelve-step program. 

The department has agreed to implement all of the core protections of our Recovery Options legislation immediately — no law needed. Starting now, the parole board will refer people to any peer support network, including secular options like SMART Recovery and LifeRing. Sober housing providers must now disclose any faith-based requirements, and anyone whose placement conflicts with their beliefs must be told about alternative options and referred to them. And if no secular group is nearby, they will be able to use a telehealth option instead. 

These changes ought to be common sense. After all, no one should be denied their freedom or be forced into a recovery program that won’t work for them. And courts have universally held that doing so is unconstitutional. And yet we know that countless atheists, humanists, and nonreligious Americans are coerced into these programs by the criminal legal system.

That’s why our team has made advocating on this issue a priority. It’s why our Secular Advocacy Team in Colorado has been fighting for these changes from day one. 

This victory was only possible because American Atheists is fighting for our community using every tool available to us — and we keep up the fight until the job is done.

Help fuel our effective, 50-state strategy of grassroots advocacy by becoming a monthly member with a gift of $20, $35, or more today. Your reliable, ongoing support will ensure everyone has access to effective treatment options — no gods required. 

Just as important as the win itself is how we did it. 

For years, we’ve known that atheists and nonreligious Americans are too often forced into religious programs or told it’s the only option available to them. We even sued West Virginia after Andrew Miller, an atheist and secular humanist, was denied parole multiple times because he requested an alternative to the pervasively religious twelve-step sobriety program at his facility. Litigation like this helps protect the rights we already have. 

But a court ruling can’t help the people who are too afraid to ask — or don’t know their rights in the first place. Who could blame a person for keeping quiet? Not wanting to rock the boat? When you worry that asserting your rights could cost you months, or even years of your life, it feels like a risk that you can’t afford to take. That’s why we wrote our Recovery Options bill: to change a right that has to be fought for into protections that are the default. 

Lastly, an often overlooked but vital part of our work is building relationships. With partners, allies, legislators, agency staff, and the people most directly affected by the policy. State Rep. Lori Goldstein helped bring the Department of Corrections to the table. Defense attorneys, recovery organizations, and interfaith partners stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight. 

Those relationships are vital beyond just enacting the changes we want. One of the most important things the Department of Corrections agreed to do moving forward may be the least flashy: they have committed to regularly meeting with American Atheists and our partners to address new problems nonreligious Coloradans face when interacting with the legal system. 

None of these work alone. And none of them work on a one month, or even a one year, timeline. Like Sheryl Kallivrousis, co-chair of the Colorado Secular Advocacy Team, said: “This is how organizing works, and it’s how we protect people with the least power to say no.”

This is what your support builds. Not just a court case or a single policy victory, but the capacity to keep winning.

Will you become a monthly supporter today and help us bring recovery options to the next state?

We got it done in Colorado. And with your help, I know we can keep up the fight.