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 objectionable – if they could simply apply some generalized and
Lock them up and throw away the key. Readers of criminal law blogs and other justice-themed articles and reports have heard that refrain before. In fact, they’ve been hearing it or other similarly conveyed utterances for decades. A tough-on-crime approach has been the central mantra for the country’s well-entrenched War
You’re sitting on the couch watching a CSI crime drama and note that it’s just about 7:50 p.m. The show is close to concluding, with no real promise that the guy who you can see is clearly guilty of a heinous crime will be identified and held accountable. Wait a
It was a normal weekend day. You bought a few things at the grocery store. You visited a bookstore. You deposited a check at the bank. You went to a church meeting. Did you know that law enforcers in Colorado and nationally can potentially track all those movements with precision
“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
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
