In June 2011, a Boulder, Colorado, man was arrested on multiple criminal charges. The arrest was made days after witnesses at an event in Boulder claimed they saw the man emerging from a porta potty covered in waste just after a woman used it. As a result of these...
Earlier this month, we began discussing some of the broad practical implications of the recent Colorado state crime lab scandal. We noted that when one element of the criminal justice system broadly or the ability of citizen’s to mount a full and fair criminal...
We have previously written about how the criminal justice system ultimately seeks to balance public safety with the rights of those who are accused of criminal wrongdoing. In an attempt to facilitate that balance, legislators and judges often grant law enforcement...
Last spring, the integrity of the Colorado criminal justice system was called into question after hundreds of human blood and tissue samples were handled improperly by a state crime lab employee. Last month, it became clear that thousands of additional samples may...
We have previously written about how easy it can be to unintentionally drive “drunk.” Because even if you feel completely sober as a result of your personal tolerance, if your blood alcohol content (BAC) has not metabolized below the legal limit of .08 when you sit...
Nothing can make up for time lost behind bars for a person who has been wrongfully convicted of a crime. Freedom, the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and the chance to live life as one dreams to cannot be adequately compensated for once taken away. However,...
The district attorney of Boulder County said Monday that he does not think any cases in his jurisdiction were affected by an apparent bias the state's toxicology lab had toward prosecutors. Even so, District Attorney Stan Garnett said he plans to notify criminal...
It is easier than one might initially think to end up on the wrong end of a suspected driving under the influence (DUI) charge. Even truly responsible and conscious adults can blow a .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) rating or just above if they have simply had some...
Though the criminal justice system is constructed in such a way that innocent persons are most often acquitted or otherwise released from their initial charges, sometimes individuals who have committed no wrongdoing are convicted of criminal activity. In addition,...
Colorado residents now generally have the legal right to possess and grow certain amounts of marijuana recreationally and medicinally. New state marijuana laws have helped to ensure that marijuana use is an increasingly personal choice, even though partaking in it may...