The bill mandates that the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) conduct searches to identify any outstanding warrants or pending cases for offenders in its custody at specific intervals: upon admission, during the initial comprehensive sentence evaluation, six months post-admission, between three to six months before the offender's community corrections eligibility date, and upon request from a public defender liaison. If a warrant or pending case is found, the DOC must inform the offender, the designated public defender liaison, and the issuing or relevant court. The legislation encourages courts to facilitate timely resolution of such warrants, including virtual appearances when appropriate, to prevent delays in the offender's potential release to community corrections or parole. Additionally, the Office of the State Public Defender is required to designate an email address to receive these notifications from the DOC.
Summary
The bill requires the department of corrections (department) to
search all information available to the department to determine whether an offender held at a correctional facility is subject to an outstanding warrant or if the offender has a pending case in a Colorado court. The department is required to conduct the search when the offender is admitted to the department, when the department conducts the initial comprehensive evaluation of the offender's sentence, 6 months after the offender's admission to the department, once 3 to 6 months prior to the offender's community correction eligibility date, and upon request of a public defender liaison to the department.
If the department determines that an offender is subject to a
warrant, the department shall notify the offender, a public defender liaison to the department, and the court that issued the warrant. The general assembly encourages a court to ensure the offender appears before the court, is assigned counsel if the defendant is eligible for court-appointed counsel, allows the offender to resolve the warrant in a timely manner, and facilitates virtual appearance for the offender.
The bill does not prohibit the department from searching for
outstanding warrants at any other time. The bill requires the office of state public defender to designate an email address for the public defender liaisons to the department of corrections to receive notifications from the department.
