Understanding Colorado’s Deferred Judgment and Sentence Options for First Offenders
May 1, 2026
If you’re convicted of a sex crime, one of the consequences of that crime usually involves having to register as a sex offender. Every state, along with our federal government, has a sex offender registry, but one court has found that a sex offender registry is unconstitutional.
That court is right here in our state. A federal judge in Denver recently ruled that having to register as a sex offender violated the Eighth Amendment rights of three plaintiffs. More specifically, [...]
In our state, if you’re convicted of a sexual offense, you are required to register as a sex offender for five, 10, or 20 years – up to life.
What happens, however, when you’ve completed your registration period?
Your first thought is probably that you no longer have to continue to register. Because that makes logical sense. Unfortunately, that thought would be wrong.
Discontinuing your registration doesn’t automatically happen. You actually have to petition the Colorado court and ask them [...]
If you are the parent of teenagers, you’ve probably heard all kinds of things about the dangers of sexting. If you are a young single adult, you’ve probably heard horror stories from friends or peers about sexts gone wrong.
Even if nude images are originally shared between consenting teenagers or adults, a bad breakup could lead to the image being sent out into the world in an instant. Widespread sexts have led to traumatic cases of bullying and big scandals [...]
Whether the offender is a teenage boy or a fully grown adult, no one likes a Peeping Tom. The term is a silly name for someone who “peeps” into the windows of homes, either by using binoculars from a distance, or by getting up close and personal.
Usually, but not always, the Peeping Tom has criminal or sex-related intentions, so peeping is quick to make people inside the home uncomfortable. For someone who decides to peep, though, there are far [...]
Our country needs a lesson on sexual assault.
College campuses around the nation are awash in controversy over allegations, accusations, and a “rape culture.” Regardless of whether the incidents actually occurred, our President-elect has openly bragged about committing sexual assault, and has been accused by multiple women.
As a response to all the media coverage, we are starting to hold universities accountable for how they handle sexual assault cases, and moving forward with ways to prevent and safely report it. [...]
A deferred judgment and sentence allows a first-time offender in Colorado to plead guilty, complete a period of court supervision, and then have the guilty plea withdrawn and the charge dismissed permanently. For someone facing their first criminal charge, this is often the best available outcome.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense team has negotiated deferred judgment agreements in Colorado courts since 2014.
How a Deferred Judgment and Sentence Works in ColoradoThe defendant enters [...]
Eyewitness testimony is undeniably a powerful form of evidence in criminal cases. However, there have been studies showing it is also one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions in Denver and across the United States. This suggests that human memory is not perfect and that some situations can lead to errors in identification.
In Denver, cases involving eyewitness misidentification span a wide range of crimes. You must defend against wrongful convictions, which requires a detailed review of the circumstances [...]
Violating a Colorado protection order can trigger a new criminal charge and contempt proceedings in the same court, and any new sentence must be served back-to-back with the sentence you were already facing, not at the same time. That means a single phone call, text message, or chance encounter can double your exposure while you are still on bond or probation. Denver criminal defense attorneys at the Law Office of Jacob Martinez have defended clients against these charges across Colorado [...]