The impact of a criminal conviction is greater than a number of days in prison or a number of dollars fined. Hundreds of federal, state, and local laws impose additional consequences on people convicted of crimes, many of which remain in effect far beyond any judicially-imposed sentence. Unlike incarceration and fines, however, those additional consequences are frequently unknown to attorneys, judges, and the individuals whose lives they profoundly affect. This publication attempts to document the true impact of a criminal conviction in Colorado. It contains consequences that arise under Colorado law, yet are not included in Colorado. The goal of this work is to provide all participants in the criminal justice system a more accurate understanding of how a conviction will impact the life of an accused person and, less directly, the community in which that person will ultimately live.
