You might know a thing or two about grand juries even if you have never been tasked to appear before one. Movies and television crime dramas often refer to or feature grand juries in action. They play a key and distinct role in the American justice system, and...
What is Colorado’s special needs parole process, and is it working?
Here’s a bit of number-crunched data relevant to Colorado’s penal system that is immediately notable and concerning: Reportedly, more than 1,200 inmates are over 60 years of age and at heightened risk from Covid-19. That is serious news, given that 8,000-plus...
Mixed bag of data on Colorado’s juvenile offenders
Youthful offenders in the Colorado criminal justice system will always comprise a demographic that is singular and closely scrutinized by law enforcers and regulatory authorities. And that is for this obvious and understandable reason: Juveniles facing legal...
January ushers in new series of Colorado DUI enforcement campaigns
If you’re an enterprising and numbers-oriented Colorado resident seeking gainful employment, the state’s Department of Transportation might be just the place for you. In fact, it looks to be employment heaven for statisticians and data analysts who can crunch numbers...
Criminal justice advocates: the time for material reform is now
Talk is, well, cheap. State and federal proponents of criminal law reforms – and there are legions in a progressively expanding camp – voice growing frustration with pro-change rhetoric they say is long on generalities and short on details. A principal with the...
Colorado court weighs in on DUI-linked forced blood testing
Following is a scenario relevant to the discussion of forcible restraint used by Colorado police officers to extract blood from a suspected drunk driver. The story outlined below conveys in summary form a real-life situation that played out on a Fort Collins roadside....
Wrongful convictions: What errors most drive faulty conclusions?
“Unimpeachable and always reliable.” That is the broad public perception of forensic evidence introduced into a criminal law case in Colorado or elsewhere. We noted in a recent Shazam & Kianpour blog post (please see our December 9 entry from last year) the “it...
The often draining effect of fees and costs in criminal cases
Criminal charges against Colorado residents are challenging for a number of reasons. We duly note at the long-established Denver criminal defense law firm of Shazam Kianpour & Associates that individuals routinely face charges "that threaten their livelihood,...
