How Colorado Extradition Works for Out-of-State Criminal Charges
September 22, 2026
“He was a good kid. I don’t know what happened.”
“She just started acting out.”
“I always knew this was coming.”
These are the kinds of things you hear from parents, teachers, and others when minors get charged with crimes. They make juvenile crime sound unstoppable. Inevitable. Inexplicable.
It’s usually not, though, and whether you are attempting to prevent your child from going down this path or working to fight charges they’re already facing, it helps to understand what factors [...]
Traditionally, consequences for fighting in school were limited to a trip to the principal’s office and school-enforced punishments such as detention, suspension or – in the worst case – expulsion. However, violence is a growing problem in schools across the US, so many educators and law enforcement officials are cracking down on violence of all forms, frequently by imposing legal consequences for students caught fighting.
Recently, two schools in Colorado made headlines for prosecuting students caught fighting at school. At [...]
Juvenile crimes are a serious problem in society not only for the present, but also in terms of how they may impact our nation’s future. Juvenile delinquency can be considered a systemic problem – parents, schools, society, culture, and government agencies all have some contribution to juvenile crime.
A number of factors make adolescents more likely to engage in criminal activity. However, studies have shown that support from the community can keep teens from turning to criminality, and can help [...]
Colorado has all kinds of laws on the books specifically aimed at juveniles, but there are some that get more use than others.
As a parent, this is incredibly important to know. It may not be possible to stop yourself from worrying about everything, but if you know which things are more likely to occur, you can focus your worries – and your prevention.
With that in mind, this list covers the most common juvenile crimes in Colorado and what [...]
Everyone makes mistakes. Especially when we’re young, figuring out who we are and learning about the world. What no one wants is the mistakes of their wayward youth to follow them around when they become adults.
That’s why a bill that Governor John Hickenlooper signed in May is so important.
Co-sponsored by state Representative Pete Lee, D-Colorado Springs, and state Senator John Cooke, R-Weld County, the bill makes it easier for juveniles to have their criminal records expunged for certain [...]
Extradition is about where a criminal case will be handled—not whether the person is guilty. If someone is arrested in Colorado on another state’s warrant, the immediate questions are usually whether to waive extradition, whether bail is available, how long the process may take, and what can actually be challenged before the person is returned.
The same issue can run in the other direction. A person may be arrested in another state because Colorado issued the warrant. In that situation, [...]
A confidential informant almost never speaks to the judge who signs the warrant. Instead, the judge reads a detective’s sworn summary of what an unnamed person allegedly said. That gap can become one of the most important issues in a Denver drug, weapons, theft, or other criminal case.
The defense does not cross-examine the informant when the warrant is issued. At that stage, the focus is on the affidavit itself: what the informant allegedly knew, how police verified the information, [...]
Colorado fentanyl possession charges can become serious felonies at relatively low weight thresholds. The law focuses on the weight of the material, compound, mixture, or preparation containing fentanyl rather than only the amount of pure fentanyl inside it. That means a small-looking quantity of powder or counterfeit pills can result in a much more serious charge once the substance is tested and weighed.
Weight is only part of the case. What the accused person knew, whether the state can prove [...]