This memorandum provides an overview of state law concerning release on bail and the use of pretrial services programs. A summary of the work done by several Colorado counties together with the Pretrial Justice Institute, a nonprofit organization funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, and the JFA Institute, a nonprofit agency that provides statistical analysis, to develop a standardized Colorado Pretrial Assessment Tool that is also included.
For each class of felony and misdemeanor, Colorado law specifies a presumptive sentencing range. However, the General Assembly has adopted several special sentencing categories that provide the court with the discretion to impose a sentence that is shorter or longer than the presumptive range if certain circumstances exist. This memorandum provides an overview of the special sentencing categories in state law for felony and misdemeanor offenses, and also explains Colorado's habitual offender and special offender sentencing laws.
This memorandum provides an overview of federal law concerning inmates' rights and corresponding DOC administrative regulations pertaining to those rights. The memorandum summarizes the basic services provided to inmates by the DOC, the cost of providing those services and whether offenders are charged for access to such services.
