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Presented to the Sentencing In the Criminal Justice System Interim Study Committee at its September 2017 tour of the facility.

This memorandum provides an overview of the sentencing categories in state law for felony and misdemeanor offenses, including special offender sentencing.  The memorandum also explains the sentencing scheme for drug offenses and for habitual offenders.  There are two appendices that accompany this memorandum.  Appendix A provides a summary of sentencing legislation since 2010.  Appendix B lists the ranges for felony presumptive sentencing and special sentencing categories.

This memorandum summarizes Colorado law that governs the visitation rights of grandparents and great-grandparents and disputes concerning those rights.  The memorandum also summarizes relevant court decisions regarding grandparents' visitation rights. This memorandum is not a legal opinion.

This memorandum provides information concerning the use of capital punishment in Colorado and across the country.  The memorandum provides a brief history of Colorado’s death penalty scheme and information on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning the constitutionality of the death penalty.  It also explains the current death penalty scheme in Colorado, including procedures used in sentencing and required review by trial courts and the Colorado Supreme Court.

This memorandum provides an overview of the County Courthouse and County Jail Funding and Overcrowding Solutions Interim Study Committee, including the charge of the committee, the committee membership, the bill limits, the bill request deadlines applicable to the committee, and information about the committee staff and website.

This memorandum provides a legislative history of county courthouse funding in Colorado.  Specifically, this memorandum provides information on:

• the origins of county courthouse funding laws;
• notable legal decisions regarding county courthouse funding;
• county courthouse funding reports and recommendations;
• bills introduced, but not enacted related to county courthouse funding; and
• county court supplemental funding grant legislation.

This memorandum provides an overview of county jails, including their function, population served, cost per day, and relationship with the state Department of Corrections.

This memorandum provides a legislative history of county courthouse funding in Colorado.  Specifically, this memorandum provides information on:

• the origins of county courthouse funding laws;
• notable legal decisions regarding county courthouse funding;
• county courthouse funding reports and recommendations; 
• bills introduced, but not enacted related to county courthouse funding; and
• county court supplemental funding grant legislation.

Presented to the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Interim Study Committee at its July 2017 meeting.

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 know right from wrong during the alleged commission of a crime is a separate issue.  When the issue of fitness for trial (competency) is raised, Colorado law requires the court to order a competency exam.

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 on the statute of limitations for sex offenses;

•     information on sentencing for sex offenses;

      •     a review of the provisions of Colorado's Lifetime Supervision of Sex Offenders Act;

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 appointment, retention, and disciplinary processes for Colorado judges.

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 conservatorships. This issue brief provides an overview of probate terminology and probate courts, and discusses probate procedures used in different situations.

Pursuant to Interim Committee Letter 2015-5, submitted as required by Section 2-3-303.3, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this committee is to study data collection and evaluation methods related to contacts made by law enforcement officers to determine whether profiling is occurring in Colorado.

Pursuant to Interim Committee Letter 2015-3. The purpose of the committee was to examine vocational rehabilitation services for the blind, the use of available funding, and program performance in order to determine the most effective structure and delivery model for vocational rehabilitation services.

Child support is a required payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child after a divorce or other dissolution of a relationship. This issue brief summarizes how child support orders are issued, details elements of child support enforcement units and various child support enforcement mechanisms, outlines the Colorado ChildSupport CollectionConsumerProtectionAct, and provides information on cases that involve noncustodial parents who live outside Colorado.

This section lists all class 1 through class 6 felonies, level 1 through 4 drug felonies, class 1 through class 3 misdemeanors, level 1 and level 2 drug misdemeanors, and class 1 and class 2 misdemeanor traffic offenses by category of crime. The categories correspond to the headings of the 43 titles comprising the Colorado Revised Statutes. This section does not include petty offenses, traffic infractions, or unclassified felonies, misdemeanors, or misdemeanor traffic offenses.

Crime Classification Guide for Class 2 Misdemeanors

Crime Classification Guide for Class 3 Misdemeanors

This section contains a current listing of misdemeanor offenses. Misdemeanor offenses are categorized as follows: class 1, class 2, class 3, and unclassified misdemeanors. The penalty for the commission of a misdemeanor offense depends on its classification. The penalty scheme for misdemeanors is indicated in Table 3 below

Crime Classification Guide for Class 2 Misdemeanor Traffic Offenses

Crime Classification Guide for Unclassified Misdemeanor Traffic Offenses

Crime Classification Guide for Unclassified Misdemeanors  

Crime Classification Guide for Class 1 Petty Offenses