COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A new report from Disability Law Colorado documents concerns of dangerous conditions at Southern Peaks Regional Treatment Center, a psychiatric residential treatment facility in Cañon City.
Disability Law Colorado, a state protection and advocacy organization, spent more than three years monitoring Southern Peaks through in-person visits. Between what they saw there and interviews with nearly 50 children, they released a report of their findings.
Disability Law Colorado shared a series of internal recommendations with Southern Peaks before issuing the public report. According to the report, key findings include:
- Excessive restraint and seclusion: Southern Peaks staff frequently restrain children — an average of 75 times per month, as of May 2025 — compared to few or no such incidents at similar facilities. Children also reported injuries from restraints.
- Lack of consistent treatment: Southern Peaks suffers from frequent therapist turnover and a lack of consistent mental health care. Despite recent improvements, children describe the facility as the worst they’ve encountered.
- Substandard conditions: Children liken Southern Peaks to a jail — with metal beds, dark rooms, and raw or undercooked food.
- Broken promises on youth voice: Programs like the Youth Advisory Council and recreation clubs have lapsed, leaving children with fewer opportunities to offer feedback or engage in positive activities.
Disability Law Colorado Co-Legal Director Emily Harvey says the use of restraint and seclusion is significantly higher at Southern Peaks compared to other facilities that are similarly licensed.
"We’ve spoken with children who are in juvenile detention facilities who prefer to be there," Harvey said. "At this point, we’re still hoping that they [Southern Peaks] see this as an opportunity to do better.”
17-year-old Jayla Hunt says she felt positive stepping into Southern Peaks for the first time in June.
“I was hopeful for different treatment and different resources that inpatient or outpatient couldn’t provide me," Hunt said.
Hunt transferred to Southern Peaks from Cedar Springs Hospital in Colorado Springs, in need of behavioral health treatment. Hunt's mother, Katie Gallegos, says that her experience with Southern Peaks was "okay from the start."
"To be fair, we didn’t have many options," Gallegos said. "It was one of the only facilities that would accept Jayla.”
Gallegos recently removed her daughter from Southern Peaks, but her concerns began with an influx of incident reports that she received from the facility.
“Using a curse word, for example, would get an incident report," Gallegos said. "Lots of physical restraints.”
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Hunt says she was physically restrained multiple times a week, off-and-on. She recalls three times in one day was the most.
“They would like hold our hands behind our back to stop us from hurting ourselves," Hunt said. “If you’re too dangerous, they’ll lay you down, but they can be kind of traumatic.”
Gallegos says her daughter would be restrained by multiple people, 30 to 40 minutes at a time.
Disability Law Colorado's report lists that physical restraints were used an average of 75 times per month, as of May 2025. The non-profit has not returned to the facility since releasing its findings.
“Southern Peaks is supposed to provide a therapeutic environment — that’s the reason it exists,” Harvey said. “What we found instead is a place where children feel unsafe and unheard.”
Disability Law Colorado is now calling on Southern Peaks to follow its recommendations, including:
- Reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion.
- Revise staff training and culture to reflect trauma-informed care.
- Ensure consistent access to therapy, education, and safe living conditions.
- Reactivate youth participation programs and feedback channels.
Gallegos says if not for a few select staff members, she would have removed her daughter from Southern Peaks a long time ago. Both she and Hunt say what the facility really needs is more staff.
“Just be there for them [patients] and let them know that whatever they’re going through is going to pass," Hunt said. "That they’re not in the situations that they were in before they were there.”
Disability Law Colorado met with the Colorado Department of Human Services about their findings.
The organization tells News5, "CDHS expressed that it would be helpful for them to hear from individuals who have specific concerns about Southern Peaks. DLC is happy to help facilitate that communication.”
Southern Peaks has not responded to News5's request for comment.
Email Senior Reporter Meghan Glova at meghan.glova@koaa.com.
Follow Meghan Glova KOAA on Facebook and @meghanglova on X.
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