State lawmakers have yet to fund an $11 million effort to reform Colorado courts’ long-troubled competency system, raising alarm among supporters as the end of the legislative session looms. If funded, the bill, HB24-1355, would create a statewide diversion program aimed at shifting thousands of people with mental illness out of the criminal justice system … Read more
Douglas County filed suit Monday against the state of Colorado, alleging that two laws prohibiting local governments from cooperating with the federal government on immigration enforcement violate the state constitution. The lawsuit, which other conservative counties are considering joining, takes aim at laws passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Jared Polis in recent … Read more
Colorado lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that would target law enforcement’s use of a common hold called prone restraint for stronger regulation, though they scaled back initial plans for broader limitations. The bill concerns a practice that law enforcement has said is common and necessary but which has come under fire from advocates for police … Read more
A plan by the Colorado Department of Human Services to house up to 32 people with severe mental illness — possibly including sex offenders — in a Northglenn neighborhood near schools and playgrounds has energized neighbors to do what they can to stop it. Conflicting details about the proposal have swirled throughout the community in … Read more
Colorado lawmakers hope to improve the state courts’ long-troubled competency system by creating a program aimed at moving mentally ill criminal defendants out of courtrooms and into mental health care. The sweeping diversion program would create a pathway for thousands of people who are charged with mid- to low-level crimes to receive mental health care … Read more
For Aly Garrett, the safe haven provided by Tribe Recovery Homes is a source of inspiration and, she hopes, salvation. The 34-year-old is on probation for charges related to fentanyl use. Her addiction started four years ago while she was in an abusive relationship and dealing with trauma that stemmed from her mother’s use of … Read more
The clothing rack set up in a Colorado Capitol hallway displayed a T-shirt and jeans, a child’s pink cardigan with a polka-dotted mini skirt, and an Army sweatshirt with shorts. The outfits represented everyday clothing worn by women and girls across the country when they were sexually assaulted. Labeled with brief descriptions, each outfit was … Read more
On most days, Alicia was sent to a Denver-area hotel room, where a steady stream of people would show up and pay for sex. From 9 a.m. to 4 a.m., she’d take call after call after call. And then she’d go home to her pimp, and he’d demand sex, too. Slap her around if she … Read more
After nearly 200 bodies were found stacked and rotting in a Colorado funeral home, lawmakers have proposed bills to overhaul the state’s threadbare funeral home regulations, which failed to prevent a string of gruesome cases — from sold body parts to fake ashes. The cases have shattered hundreds of families. Many learned that their loved … Read more
U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado unveiled a package of migrant-related bills in the House Thursday that aim to break a partisan logjam on immigration reform and would assist cities like Denver that have shouldered unforeseen costs. The congresswoman, who represents Colorado’s most heavily Latino congressional district, said her aim is to help interior cities … Read more
