Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws
Recent federal policy changes have increased public awareness of asset forfeiture, a process through which a law enforcement agency can seize property that may have been involved in a criminal action.
First Regular Session | 74th General Assembly
Colorado General AssemblyRecent federal policy changes have increased public awareness of asset forfeiture, a process through which a law enforcement agency can seize property that may have been involved in a criminal action.
This issue brief provides an overview of how the justice system treats juveniles found guilty of a crime in Colorado. It discusses juvenile problem solving courts; detention and commitment; the facilities where juveniles are housed; the programs and services available; requirements for...
Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Oversight Committee on Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System.
This issue brief outlines Colorado's efforts to address issues associated with persons with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees each citizen the right to a fair trial, which includes the right to be present at the trial, able to understand the nature of the proceedings, and able to participate in his or her defense. Whether the defendant’s mental health impaired his or her ability to...
Presented to the Joint Health Committee.
The purpose of this publication is to compile information on Colorado law related to sex offenses and sex offenders. Included in this report is the following:
• a listing of sex offenses in Colorado law;
• information...
The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) 1 creates a presumption in favor of public access to government documents. This issue brief addresses CORA’s two threshold questions: 1) what is and is not considered a public record; and 2) which public records are exempt from disclosure. It also briefly...
Colorado’s state court system is comprised of many different courts, including the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals (COA), and district courts. Colorado law also governs county courts and jurisdiction-specific courts in Denver.1 This issue brief describes the qualification requirements and...
There are 86 courthouse facilities in Colorado: 71 courthouses and 15 probation offices. This issue brief provides an overview of court and court facility funding. Specifically, information is provided on state, county, and municipal court funding requirements and state supplemental funding...
Information technology (IT) is used by every state agency to make operations more efficient and services more widely available to the citizens of Colorado. Along with other day-to-day expenses of state government, expenses related to IT are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual...
The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill. Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget. This issue brief outlines the types of...
This memorandum discusses Colorado law on the subject of the expungement of juvenile delinquency records, including the offenses that may not be expunged, and provides information about sealing adult arrest records, criminal records other than convictions, and conviction records. Further...
Prior to being discharged from the state criminal justice system, adult offenders are released from prison for a period of parole. This issue brief summarizes recent state adult parole initiatives. These include the offender reentry programs authorized in House Bill 14-1355, and the “...
According to the Federal Trade Commission, in 2015 Colorado ranked 21st in the nation for the number of identity theft victims, with 123.2 victims per 100,000 population. Identity theft is generally defined as the unlawful use of personal identifying or financial information of another person to...
Probate is a general term referring to a court procedure by which a person's estate is transferred to others. In current usage, "probate" has been expanded to generally include all matters pertaining to administration of estates, including trust administration, guardianships, and...
This memorandum provides information regarding state laws penalizing those who misrepresent pets or other animals as service animals. Nine states have laws prohibiting the misrepresentation of pets, and nine states have laws prohibiting people from misrepresenting themselves as disabled in order...
This memorandum provides information on Colorado law related to nonfatal strangulation and information on the laws in states in which nonfatal strangulation is a felony. While Colorado statutes do not specifically address strangulation, other criminal statutes may apply. This memorandum also...
To Members of the Seventieth General Assembly:
Submitted herewith is the final report of the State Capitol Building Advisory Committee (advisory committee). The advisory committee was created pursuant to Section 24-82-108, C.R.S., and serves in an advisory capacity to the Capital...
This issue brief discusses the various offenses related to driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Colorado, and their associated criminal and administrative penalties.
State legislatures have emphasized the importance of collecting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to solve crimes. This issue brief describes legislative efforts, both in Colorado and across the country, to mandate that individuals convicted of or arrested for a crime submit a DNA sample for entry...
This memorandum provides information on Colorado's construction defect laws and the various issues surrounding construction defects in Colorado. It summarizes the current construction defect laws in the state, provides a summary of a recent Denver Regional Council of Governments study of the...
The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill. Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget. This issue brief outlines the types of projects...
Information technology (IT) is used by every state agency to make operations more efficient and services more widely available to the citizens of Colorado. Along with other day-to-day expenses of state government, expenses related to IT are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual...