Colorado Prison Wardens Participated in Longstanding Racist, Homophobic Group Chat
At least two top Colorado prison officials, Warden Jeff Long and his brother, former Warden Ryan Long, were longtime participants in a group chat which exchanged racist, homophobic messages between them and other high-ranking Department of Corrections (DOC) staffers, The Denver Post reported in June 2026.
Uncovered through an investigation into the wardens’ conduct that has stretched for 15 months, the group chat included, in addition to the Longs, former guard Maj. Joshua Dorcey, former guards Mike Sewell and Josh Alexander and others. Shane Stucker, a third warden, received similar messages but it was unclear whether he was a part of the group chat.
The texts consist of hundreds of messages that were “inappropriate, unprofessional, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist and otherwise offensive and derogatory,” according to a decision issued earlier this year by Colorado Administrative Law Judge Keith Shandalow, after Dorcey unsuccessfully appealed his demotion.
The documents offer an explanation why the men were placed on administrative leave in March 2025 for alleged misconduct that was unspecified at the time. The chat logs were initially uncovered on Ryan Long’s state-issued cellphone during an unrelated investigation. Described multiple times in Shandalow’s decision as damaging to the DOC if made public, the group chat was a hub for exchanging slurs against gay and Black people as well as sensitive prison footage. Ryan Long, for example, posted a video of a woman prisoner striking another prisoner and of guards using a Taser on yet another prisoner.
In the ruling, Shandalow upheld Dorcey’s demotion from major to captain while also granting him leniency in reversing his transfer from Sterling Correctional Facility (SCF) to a prison in Denver, which is more than 120 miles from his home. Stucker returned to work on June 11 and, while his rank is still listed as warden, he no longer appears to serve in his previous role at the helm of the Fremont Correctional Facility. Jeff Long continues to serve as SCF warden but remains on paid leave with an annual salary of $134,000. Ryan Long retired on April 1 as the warden of the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center. Sewell, the guard, was fired from the DOC.
Sources: The Denver Post, CBS News
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login