Criminal Defense

They keep doing it, and the general public – both nationally and unquestionably across Colorado – continues to speak harshly against the practice. And in a stridently persistent way driven by perceived injustice targeting individuals who are often victims rather than...

The “first foray.” That is how an in-depth piece on American criminal law reform describes the value of so-called executive actions as tools employed by the federal government to promote a more rational and fair justice system. Executive actions have prominently...

Would it bother you as a Colorado resident to know that nonstop police surveillance of your house yielded the arrest of a dangerous criminal living nearby? How about this scenario? What if a criminal task force was routinely gathering information linked to your...

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...

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...

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...

“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...

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,...

Colorado prosecutors often search for criminal charges they can file that will yield maximum penalties for defendants. Sometimes they struggle to link an individual’s specific conduct to any particularized wrongdoing. Wouldn’t it be nice for them – even if arguably...

“We must reimagine the justice problem.” So say a group of writers penning a recent in-depth article on criminal law and reform for the Brennan Center for Justice. That entity is a long-established bipartisan public policy institute with a criminal law reform...