Understanding Colorado’s Hate Crime Enhancement Laws and Penalties
January 29, 2026
Expungement is a legal process allowing individuals to have certain criminal records sealed or erased, providing them a fresh start and removing barriers to employment, housing, and other opportunities. In Colorado, the process of expungement is specific and requires a thorough understanding of the eligibility criteria, the steps involved, and the potential benefits.
How Does Colorado Expungement Work?Expungement is different from record sealing, which is the process of legally sealing a criminal record from public view. However, sealed records [...]
Dealing with inaccuracies or discrepancies in criminal records can pose significant challenges for individuals in Denver, impacting their employment opportunities, housing options, and overall quality of life. Record sealing and expungement are legal processes that offer solutions to address these issues, but understanding the differences between the two is essential for making informed decisions. This blog’ll explore the distinctions between record sealing and expungement in Denver, offer practical advice and legal strategies for challenging erroneous information, and discuss the importance [...]
The weight of past legal records can cast a long shadow, making it challenging to move forward and seize new opportunities. In Colorado, however, individuals burdened with multiple records have a pathway to reclaim their lives and rewrite their narratives. Expungement offers a chance for a clean slate, allowing people to shed the shackles of their past mistakes and forge ahead toward a brighter future. individuals aiming to reclaim their lives.
Understanding Expungement: A Fresh StartExpungement serves as a [...]
Even in states like Colorado that have decriminalized many drugs in specific amounts, drug convictions can haunt you for years.
Whenever anyone does a background check on you for a new job, housing, or even a loan, they will see convictions on your record, and you could lose opportunities long after you’ve served your debt to society. That’s why criminal record sealing exists in Colorado, but it’s essential to understand what types of convictions can be sealed and cannot.
Here [...]
It’s unlikely that anyone needs to tell a person that driving under the influence is a big mistake in Colorado. The Centennial State has some of the stiffest DUI penalties in the nation. Even if you manage to avoid conviction for a DUI, there’s still the matter of a criminal record.
The law in Colorado allows you to expunge certain crimes and arrests from your criminal record. Is a DUI one of those crimes? In some circumstances, it is, but [...]
Hate crime enhancements allow Colorado prosecutors to increase criminal penalties. A misdemeanor assault could become a felony with years in prison if bias motivation is proven. These enhancements don’t require explicit hatred; prosecutors just need to show that prejudice based on protected characteristics played a role.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense attorneys defend clients statewide, challenging subjective or ambiguous evidence. Many alleged “proofs” of bias have reasonable alternative explanations.
What Are Colorado Hate Crime[...]In criminal cases across Denver, CO, DNA evidence is presented as powerful proof linking a defendant to a crime scene, victim, or weapon. While DNA analysis can be highly reliable when performed correctly, it is not infallible. Criminal defense attorneys at the Law Office of Jacob Martinez frequently challenge DNA evidence on multiple grounds to create reasonable doubt or even exclude it entirely from trial. This is especially relevant in Denver, where many cases rely on testing from the Colorado [...]
Police body camera footage has become one of the most influential types of evidence in Colorado criminal cases. What officers’ records can support their account or expose inconsistencies that benefit your defense. Understanding how to obtain and use this footage is essential when facing charges.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense attorney team pursues body camera footage in every case where it exists. We know how to analyze video evidence, identify improper police conduct, and [...]