“Why don’t I know who my DA is?” That is a question that a commentator in a recent Denver article spotlighting Colorado district attorneys and upcoming elections to select them says many state residents are now asking themselves. And Gordon McLaughlin stresses the importance of that query, given the significant
The criminal justice realm in Colorado and nationally will always comprise top-tier subject matter when it is spotlighted in conversation or a news piece. And that is logically so, because virtually everything about it is of an ultra-serious nature. The outcomes of criminal law cases are often life-changing and even
When the police believe they have an eyewitness to a crime, they often bring that person to the station to try to identify a suspect. This is primarily done through a lineup or a photo array. Unfortunately, studies have shown that many identifications by eyewitnesses are mistaken or are the
Though it may seem that police have a disproportionate amount of power in any interaction, there are rules that law enforcement must follow. For example, checks and balances exist to prevent officers from abusing their power to detain individuals. An officer must have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity before making
Our Shazam Kianpour & Associates criminal defense blog is perhaps one of the longest tenured blogs in Colorado. The firm has been diligently striving for well more than a decade to keep our valued and diverse readership timely informed on engaging and personally meaningful topics and stories. We have covered
A recent Colorado media article stresses one state legislator’s desire to materially flip the criminal charging equation for one specific group of individuals. Namely, that is the demographic comprising young people who are over the age of 18 and criminally sentenced as adult offenders despite still displaying a juvenile mindset.
If the cops arrest you, you’re going to jail. And that’s regardless of the alleged offense against you, even in a case where most people might reasonably view the criminal charge against you as minor or even trifling. That is the decided conclusion derived by researchers at the national nonprofit
The atmosphere prior to the final vote casting on one specific matter before the Denver City Council last Monday was tense. Council president Jolon Clark made a pre-tally statement that subject matter deliberations were “tearing all of us apart.” The final vote certainly reflected that. In what one media report
A nonprofit group recently released a criminal law-focused report that is attracting considerable attention nationally. An article by The Marshall Project focusing upon that study notes that states across the country are “evenly split” on how they view and treat its subject matter. The spotlighted topic is this: law enforcers’
We note on our website at the established Denver criminal defense firm of Shazam Kianpour & Associates a bedrock legal canon of American law. It addresses the prosecutorial role, and is both direct and simple. We duly stress that the government must prove an alleged criminal offender’s guilt “beyond a
