1. The Colorado Court System

2. Agenda Denver’s court system Municipal Court County Court
District Court
The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Small Claims Court
State of Colorado adult correctional system

3. Denver’s Court System
Denver’s court system differs from most others in the rest of the state, in part because Denver is both a city and a county.
The Denver County Court functions as a municipal court as well as a county court. Denver County Court is paid for entirely by Denver taxes rather than state taxes.
Denver also has the only separate Juvenile Court and Probate Court in the state. In the rest of Colorado, District Courts handle juvenile and probate matters. In Denver, the Juvenile and Probate Courts are state courts.

4. Municipal Courts
Municipal (city) courts deal with violations of city laws committed within the city limits. Generally, these laws involve traffic, shoplifting and minor offenses or disturbances. Defendants in municipal cases have the right to a jury trial and to tell their side of the story. A decision of a municipal court can be appealed to a state court. Municipal cases are prosecuted by the City Attorney’s Office.

5. Denver City Attorney’s Office
The City Attorney’s office provides services to over 6,000 victims of municipal ordinance violations. Over a third of those cases involved victims of domestic violence. They also provided services to victims of juvenile violence and nondomestic violence.

6. Denver City Attorney’s Office cont.
The Denver City Attorney’s Office prosecutes city charges including:
Threats to injure (simple)
Assault (simple)
Disturbing by use of telephone
Disturbing the peace
Public indecency
Concealed weapon
Shoplifting
Begging
Curfew
Wrongs to minors
Flourishing a weapon
Petty theft
Soliciting for prostitution
Trespass
Destruction of property
Violation of a protection order

7. Penalties for City Charges
Maximum of one year in jail
$0–$999 in fines
36 weeks of domestic violence counseling
Credit for timed served

8. City Attorney Victim Advocacy Program
The program consists of:
Three trial advocates
Three arraignment advocates
Juvenile advocate
Nondomestic violence advocate
Support supervisor/Roving advocate
Program manager

9. City Attorney Victim Advocacy Program
Services provided by the advocates include:
Contact all victims of domestic violence and nondomestic municipal ordinance violations
Help to explain the court system
Advocate for victims while representing the City Attorney’s office
Offer resources including referrals and protection orders
Offer safety planning
Continue to update the victim on a case’s status
Work closely with the prosecuting attorney and victim throughout the court process
Inform the victim of his/her rights and possible legal obligations
Assistance with compensation and restitution

10. County Courts
Every county in the state has a County Court. These courts handle traffic cases, minor criminal matters and civil matters involving no more than $5,000. All County Court and District Court cases are prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office of the judicial district. An appeal from a County Court decision may be made to the District Court.

11. County Court
The Denver District Attorney’s Office prosecutes county charges including:
Criminally negligent homicide
Careless driving involving death
Third degree child abuse
Third degree sexual assault
Indecent exposure
Third degree assault
Menacing
False imprisonment
Theft less than $30,000
Driving under the influence
Trespass
Fourth degree arson
Prostitution

12. District Courts
District Courts are organized into 22 judicial districts in Colorado. Denver is the 2nd Judicial District.
Each district has one or more district judges and serves one or more counties.
District Courts have the authority to handle many types of cases including divorces, civil claims in any amount, juvenile matters, probate, mental health and criminal cases.
A District Court decision may be appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals or to the Colorado Supreme Court.

13. District Courts
Cases handled by the Denver District Attorney’s Office include:
Homicide Manslaughter
Vehicular homicide Assault
Child abuse Sexual assault
Menacing Kidnapping
Trespass Arson
Forgery
Theft of more than $30,000

14. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program operates within the county, juvenile and district court systems to provide support for victims and witnesses of violent crime.
The District Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness Support Unit is composed of three interrelated components:

15. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Victim Assistance cont.
Victim compensation
Victim assistance
Witness services

16. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Victim Compensation
Victim Compensation is a statutory statewide program aimed at providing monetary reparations to the victims (or survivors of the victims) of violent crime.
The compensation is primarily for expenses incurred as a direct result of victimization, such as: medical care, psychological counseling, funeral costs, loss of wages, etc. The fund is administered by a three-person compensation board within each state judicial district. The fund is created by a surcharge on convicted misdemeanor and felony offenders.

17. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Victim Assistance
Upon case filing of criminal charges, the District Attorney’s Office forwards a copy of the complaints sheet to the secretary of the courtroom the case is assigned to, who then gives a copy to the Victim Advocate assigned to that courtroom. This process usually takes 7 to 10 days after the case is filed.

18. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Victim Assistance cont.
The Victim Advocate divides cases into violent and nonviolent categories.
Nonviolent case victims are sent letters that give case filing information and request property loss statements.
Violent case victims are contacted by phone. This is to inform the victim of the defendant’s case status and to let the victim know about available services.

19. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Victim Assistance cont.
The Victim Advocate is available to the prosecution for assistance in pre-trial victim interviews.
When court proceedings begin, the Victim Advocate provides judicial system orientation and/or escort services to victims of violent crime. The victim is kept informed of all case proceedings and the final dispositions.
At sentencing, the Victim Advocate ensures that the Victim Impact Statement or victim’s testimony is prepared for the prosecutor’s presentation
to the Court.

20. The Denver District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Program
Witness Services
In addition to direct victim contact, the
Victim Advocates provide trial support
by acting as a liaison between victims/witness and
the prosecutor for relaying trial information.
Services provided include:
On-call notification for all felony trials
Case continuation notification
Final disposition notification
Relocation for witnesses in some cases