Colorado Domestic Violence Attorney

District Attorneys (and many judges) tend to believe alleged victims until they say the accused is not guilty. DAs are concerned about the cycle of violence, in which victims of domestic violence make up with an abuser and then defend her/him against prosecution. unfortunately, that concern means DAs tend to only have ears for complaint, and disregard evidence that indicates the accused is not guilty.

Domestic Violence (DV) as a criminal charge is usually tacked on to another charge such as violation of a restraining order, assault or criminal mischief. Don’t let that fool you into overlooking it. This charge is a dangerous one because its application by most prosecutors in Colorado is very broad and it can have lasting effects that no one outside the prosecutor’s office desires.

Domestic violence as defined by Colorado Statute could include an argument between two people of the same sex who do not live together in which one of them punches a wall, or tosses a picture to the floor. Mere presence could qualify if in violation of a restraining order. Domestic violence is often charged when the reporting party never intended such charges and does not believe he/she was the victim of domestic violence. As noted above, prosecutors regularly dismiss the concerns and requests of reporting witnesses in domestic violence cases because of concerns about cycle of violence research.

Despite the somewhat shaky foundation many domestic violence charges rest upon, convictions can have a lasting impact on the availability of jobs and housing. Police officers and security guards are sometimes not allowed to carry weapons anymore, and military members, people with security clearances and in other positions of trust face the possibility of losing their career. Courts regularly impose mandatory protection orders after domestic violence arrests leaving the accused unable to return home and with few options for accessing their children or personal property.

Domestic violence convitions also come with mandatory domestic violence classes. Currently, those classes take 36 weeks to complete, and the accussed is responsible for paying for those classes. If the Colorado Domestic Violence Offender Management Board (DVOMB) gets what it wants, those accused of domestic violence will face mandatory therapy of potentially endless duration, again at personal expense.

I defend all types of domestic violence cases. I take the charge seriously and I will fight hard to get the charge dismissed or minimize its impact where possible. Call domestic violence lawyer Vernon Ready for a free consultation.