NAPD Supports Municipal Court Fairness in Colorado

NAPD has joined coalitions around two bills related to municipal courts in Colorado.

NAPD Supports HB25-1147: Fairness & Transparency in Municipal Court

From the Colorado Freedom Fund: “HB25-1147 extends basic legal protections already available in state court to Colorado’s most vulnerable Coloradans – those prosecuted for poverty in our 200+ municipal courts. HB25-1147 requires parity between state and municipal court in sentencing, access to indigent defense counsel, and transparency of court proceedings. All Coloradans facing jail need to know the potential penalties they face, have access to defense counsel, and be tried in a public courtroom, no matter what court they are charged in.”

Here is the bill summary and the Colorado Freedom Fund’s factsheet. Sign up here to join the coalition to support HB25-1147.

NAPD Opposes HB25-1276: Court Actions Related to Failure to Appear in Court

From the Colorado Freedom Fund: “HB25-1276 would undo a 2019 law to end cash bond and prohibit extended pretrial detention for people charged with minor offenses (HB19-1225). The new bill would allow judges to set cash bond and jail pretrial people accused of lowest level charges that are overwhelmingly used to prosecute unhoused Coloradans whose survival is already criminalized.”

Here is the bill summary. Sign up here to join the coalition to oppose HB25-1276.

The Colorado Freedom Fund is posting updates on these bills here.