Colorado Defenses to Criminal Charges — Understanding How Your Criminal Defense Lawyer Intends To Defend You

 

When you face criminal charges, it is critical that you not only be aware of your constitutional and trial rights but also the possible defenses available to you.

Several web pages in this catagory address Colorado Legal Defenses commonly asserted in criminal cases.

The pages are – for the most part – brief — but they are complelte and will give you a comprehensive picture of each defense

Here are just two of the defenses you should understand:

 

The Insanity Defense

The insanity defense is a controversial criminal defense used by individuals who do not have control of their behavior or do not understand that their actions were wrong. If an individual is not able to understand basic principles of morality or cannot …the law asserts that such people are not accountable for their actions. In this way, the insanity defense prevents people who do not have the capability to control their actions or the capacity to understand the consequences of their behavior from being punished as criminals. It is important to be aware that while individuals may not face criminal penalties if this defense is successful, they may be confined to a mental facility for a longer period of time than would have been permissible by criminal incarceration. 

Statute of Limitations Defense

If you are charged with a crime it is important to know that you may only be charged with a certain crime for a limited amount of time after an offense occurs; this is known as a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations varies depending on the crime and the state in which the crime took place. Therefore, it is very important to contact a criminal defense attorney if you have been charged with a crime that took place a number of years ago as the statute of limitations may have run out and you may not legally be tried for the criminal charges that you face. Be aware that statutes of limitations do not prevent you from being prosecuted when they expire. Rather, statutes of limitations prevent you from being charged with a crime when they are expired