In the state of Colorado, domestic violence is treated as a very serious crime and can exponentially increase your sentence. If a police officer has reason to doubt that you were involved in domestic violence, you will be arrested immediately. Some common crimes that come under domestic violence in Denver are sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, harassment, and emotional abuse. In case you’re charged with domestic violence, you can lose your parental rights, employability, and also your right to possess a gun.
Implications of domestic violence in Colorado
In legal terms, domestic violence is when you have performed an act of violence on a person you are/were in an intimate relationship with. The case is stringently dealt with in both the municipal and state courts of Colorado.
In Denver, the municipal laws necessitate the police officers to promptly arrest the defendant at the site of crime. In case you’re accused, you will be issued a ticket that specifies a date when you have to appear in court. You will not be allowed to bond out prior to your first court hearing. During this time, a Victim’s Advocate will contact the victim to determine whether or not a protection order should be issued.
The Colorado state charges for the crime in court are nearly the same as the municipal charges. There are mandatory arrest laws that the police officer is given discretion to. Additionally, even if the victim decides to drop charges, the case will not be dropped; the state court will pursue and investigate it until there is evidence to prove that the defendant is not guilty.
What a conviction can mean
In most domestic violence cases, the victim can dramatically affect the turn out of the case. If you are accused of the crime and you are found to have previous convictions of the same, you will be considered to be an habitual domestic offender and booked under a class 5 felony. This can sentence you to a jail time of between 1 and 3 years, apart from fines. The state laws also mandate that any person who has been charged with domestic violence are banned from possessing any kind of firearms.
After being convicted, you will be subjected to a treatment program and evaluation. If you’re in prison, however, you will not be required to attend the treatment programs. If you’re convicted, you could stand to be barred from a host of activities, including:
- Renting or purchasing property
- Military benefits
- Obtaining a bank loan
- Getting a government job
- Getting a hunting license
- Deportation if you’re not a citizen of the USA
- What you should do
Most individuals charged with domestic violence will be talked into taking up a plea bargain, but this is not advisable in many cases. Domestic violence charges can drastically affect your career and future. It is important that as soon as you’re arrested for domestic violence by the Denver Police Department, you approach an experienced attorney to represent you in court. Defense attorney Richard B. Huttner has an excellent track record of case wins and can help you minimize or even nullify your charges.