Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted almost every aspect of society, including the criminal justice system, leaving crowded courts, prisons, and jails especially susceptible to the outbreak.  This memorandum provides an overview of how prisons in Colorado are reacting to this public health...

This guide is a compilation of crimes and traffic infractions in Colorado.  For each offense, a brief description of the elements of the crime and the statutory citation is provided.

Individuals convicted of criminal offenses are typically required by the court to pay associated fines, fees, and surcharges.  This memorandum provides an overview of the fines and fees that are imposed upon a criminal conviction in Colorado, including those financial obligations that support...

This memorandum provides a listing of criminal justice reform bills passed in Colorado over the past several years.  More specifically, the attached table provides the bill number, title, and description of the criminal justice reform legislation, organized by category (i.e., bail, juvenile,...

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted almost every aspect of society, including the criminal justice system, leaving crowded courts, prisons and jails especially susceptible to the outbreak.  This memorandum provides an overview of how the juvenile justice system in Colorado is handling this...

This memorandum addresses abuse of corpse laws in the 50 states.  While the vast majority of states have enacted abuse of corpse or other related laws, they differ in definition and crime classification.  For example, some states outline penalties for mutilating or defacing a corpse, while...

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Treatment of Persons With Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal Justice System Committee.

Summary report for the Prison Population Management Interim Study Committee.

This issue brief provides an overview of state laws related to pet animal facilities.  These facilities are licensed and regulated under the Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA).

This issue brief provides an overview of extreme risk protection orders, including what they are, how they are used, and how Colorado's proposed law compares to other states.  It also addresses other types of protection orders authorized in Colorado law.

Community corrections programs serve as an alternative to prison or as a transition for individuals in prison to reenter society.  This issue brief provides a general overview of community corrections.

According to the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC), between 2012 to 2017, the number of inmates who had moderate to severe mental health needs increased by 7 percent.  Additionally, a steep increase in court-ordered competency evaluations and restorative treatments has caused a shortage...