Anyone who’s watched an episode of Law and Order has heard a pointing judge shout, “You’re in Contempt!”, but what is “Contempt of Court?” and what are the penalties? If you’ve been charged with contempt or have a case pending in civil or criminal court it’s important to understand the reality behind these powerful words. Contempt of Court charges are more than just a judge’s admonishment for bad behavior, Contempt is a criminal charge. A conviction not only brings fines…

Every state imposes time limits for both criminal and civil cases to be brought to court. These statutes of limitations on cases serve to ensure that evidence is still available when a case comes to court and that eyewitness testimony to the event remains fresh and reliable. Colorado courts set specific statutes of limitations on cases ranging from when prosecutors can bring forward criminal charges to when an injury victim can bring a lawsuit for compensation for their damages. Colorado’s…

Divorce is a complicated matter even under the most amicable of circumstances, but divorce often becomes contentious when matters of child custody arise. No parent relishes the idea of an impartial judge setting the parameters of their time with their own children, but family court judges in Colorado are tasked with making these difficult decisions. What’s already a difficult circumstance for parents to navigate becomes much more complex when one parent faces pending criminal charges. Some Colorado parents ask, “How…

Parents understand that children and teenagers sometimes engage in impulsive behaviors and often act without thinking. Teenagers also tend to enjoy rebelling against authority and employing outrageous behaviors to impress their friends. Studies show that the human brain isn’t completely matured beyond childhood impulsive behaviors until at least the mid-20s, but how long are parents legally responsible for the actions of their offspring, and just what does this legal responsibility entail? Even when children aren’t held to account in criminal…

For young people, the threat of jail time is often used as a deterrent as parents and the authorities attempt to warn them about the ramifications of breaking the law. If they do so anyway, jail time is then used to reform them and keep them from committing crimes in the future. But does this actually work? The opposite of the intended impact Many studies not only dispute that this works, but show that it actually has the opposite of…