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Council sponsors propose rewrite of municipal sentencing to align with Colorado Supreme Court ruling
Summary
Sponsors introduced a draft ordinance to align Denver’s municipal sentencing with a Colorado Supreme Court decision that municipal sentences cannot exceed comparable state sentences; the draft creates tiered offense classes, removes mandatory prostitution fines, and will be sent to Safety Committee for further review.
Councilmembers Gonzalez Gutierrez and Paradis presented a draft ordinance to overhaul Denver’s municipal sentencing scheme, saying the rewrite is necessary to comply with a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling that municipal sentences cannot exceed comparable state sentences for similar conduct. Sponsors told the Budget & Policy Committee that Denver’s current municipal code allows penalties up to 300 days in jail and $999 fines for a broad range of offenses, which they said disproportionately affect low-income and immigrant residents.
The proposal lays out five principal changes: revise the Denver Revised Municipal Code to match state maximum sentences where there is a comparable state offense; cap municipal-only offenses at petty‑offense levels…
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