Abuse Lawsuit Filed against Colorado Halfway House

Two women say they faced unwanted sexual advances while living at a Colorado Springs, Colo. halfway house.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that according to a federal lawsuit filed against Community Alternatives of El Paso female residents say they felt administrators did not protect them from a sexual predator.

The lawsuit was filed weeks after the man in question, former maintenance worker Joseph Garcia Chapman, pleaded guilty to forcing himself on residents of the halfway house.

CAE is owned by Community Education Centers, a private, nationwide corrections company that contracts with the Colorado Department of Corrections to provide post-conviction supervision and services. A CEC spokesman says the company addressed the claims about Chapman seriously, but declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation.