Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Opinion: End private prisons in Colorado

Allowing profit into the criminal justice system undermines its integrity, effectiveness, and the public trust. We would never tolerate profit incentives for judges, public defenders, or prosecutors; we should not do so for prisons. Two private, for-profit prisons in Colorado hold roughly 18% of our state’s prison population. These facilities are owned by CoreCivic, a […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Prosecutors slam Colorado trucker’s reduced prison sentence, say governor hurt efforts to negotiate in other cases

The reduction of a 110-year prison sentence to 10 years by Colorado’s governor for a trucker convicted of killing four people in a fiery interstate crash is hurting prosecutors’ efforts to negotiate sentences in other cases, according to two district attorneys. The Dec. 30 commutation by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis for the trucker was “unprecedented, […]

Posted inNews

State leaders call for unified action to combat rising fentanyl poisonings across Colorado

State legislators, law enforcement officials and district attorneys on Thursday stressed the need for a more collaborative response to combat surging fentanyl poisonings that have killed more Coloradans than gun violence and car crashes combined.  “This alarming rise in fentanyl calls for action,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial […]

Posted inSun Investigation

Parents of young Coloradans killed by fentanyl call it murder. So why aren’t there more convictions?

In a matter of seconds, a tiny blue pill disguised as a prescription painkiller can kill a person with a lethal dose of fentanyl, a drug so powerful that amounts as tiny as a few grains of salt are deadly. Parents of Colorado high school and college students who have died after taking the synthetic […]

Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns

Opinion: Legislation to reduce Colorado’s jail populations makes sense for safety and social justice

This past summer’s worldwide protests against police brutality and calls to defund the police greatly increased discussions and renewed awareness of widespread structural and institutional racism that is normalized in America.  The racial justice movement in America was clearly alive and well. It finally seemed possible to many that we could make substantial changes to […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

Boulder shooting suspect used assault weapon he legally purchased from Arvada gun store

The gunman who killed 10 people at a Boulder King Soopers this week used an assault weapon he legally purchased at an Arvada gun store,  but investigators still don’t know his motive, police said Friday. “We, too, want to know why,” Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said, speaking from the steps of Boulder police headquarters, […]

Posted inCrime and Courts, News

“You can’t unsee anything”: What Michael Dougherty, Boulder’s district attorney, faces as he investigates the King Soopers shooting

Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is embarking on what’s likely the most difficult period of his long career as a prosecutor this week as he leads the investigation into Monday’s mass shooting at a King Soopers store.  Dougherty, a 49-year-old New York native, was first appointed to his job as Boulder’s top prosecutor by […]