Typical Timelines for Colorado Misdemeanor and Felony Cases
Colorado divides its misdemeanor offenses into three separate categories, classes I, II and III. Class I offenses are the most serious and involve possible sentences of twelve months in the County jail. However, many Class I misdemeanors have been designated “extraordinary risk” crimes and carry with them the possibility of up to two years in jail. Among the extraordinary risk crimes is, for instance, Third Degree Assault. This offense alleges physical contact which causes injury, even if the injury involves only physical pain on the part of the victim. This is a very common charge filed in Colorado and many Defendants are surprised to learn that they face the possibility of twenty four months in jail due to a simple fistfight or shoving match.
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Colorado Felonies are divided into six categories, the most serious being Class 1 felonies. The least serious are Class 6 felonies. By way of example, 1st Degree Murder is a Class 1 felony and carries with it life imprisonment without benefit of parole. Burglary of a Dwelling is a Class 3 felony and carries with it the possibility of four to twelve years in the Department of Corrections. Menacing with a Firearm is a Class 5 felony and carries with it the possibility of one to three years in prison. Our scheme involving dividing felonies into categories is meant simply to assign criminal liability in a forthright and clear way: the higher the felony category the more serious the offense. Thus, the higher the felony category, the higher the “presumptive range” of incarceration in the State’s Department of Corrections.
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