Juvenile Justice

Miguel Ita stabbing: DA frustrated by new rules for charging fifteen year olds as adults

Last week, we told you about the decision of the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office to name Miguel Angel Ita, fifteen, as the prosecutorial target in a fatal Lakewood stabbing and begin the procedure to try him as an adult. That process has changed, and not for the better in the view of Je ... More >>

Miguel Angel Ita, fifteen, should be charged as an adult with Lakewood murder, DA says (73)

In the vast majority of cases -- even serious cases -- when juveniles are charged with crimes, prosecutors routinely decline to release their names. So it's highly unusual that the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office is sharing the name of fifteen year old Miguel Angel Ita, who's been charg ... More >>

Colorado's juvenile courts suffer from "benign neglect," new study claims

A detailed study of Colorado's juvenile courts by a national coalition of attorneys who specialize in juvenile defense work describes the state system as plagued by turnover, case overload, confusion and judicial shortcuts that sometimes deprive the juveniles in its care of their rights -- and is mo ... More >>

Will juvenile lifers get a second chance?

See also: Johnathan Jordan letter clears co-defendant in murder -- but will anyone believe it?

Austin Sigg, Jessica Ridgeway's accused killer: New mug shot, new cell -- in adult jail

Update: Headlines noting that seventeen-year-old Austin Sigg has been charged as an adult in the kidnapping and killing of Jessica Ridgeway, a ten-year-old Westminster girl, are a bit redundant, since documents to that effect were filed last month; see previous coverage below. But his court visit ye ... More >>

Jesus Cornelio guilty plea in death of toddler touted as triumph of direct file

The case against Jesus Cornelio, seventeen, who allegedly caused his toddler cousin's death by shoving him while Facebooking, sparked controversy after he was charged as an adult using a method the Colorado legislature was trying to reform. That bill is now law, but Weld County DA Ken Buck is credit ... More >>

Abused kids may mingle with delinquents at a privately run facility

Juveniles prosecuted as adults: Colorado's hardline approach not working, report says

Nearly twenty years after Denver's much-hyped "Summer of Violence" triggered a harsher approach to juvenile offenders statewide, lawmakers are wrestling with two reform bills -- and a new report contends that Colorado's system for moving juvenile cases into adult court isn't working and doesn't prov ... More >>

Juvenile lifers targeted for rape, excessive isolation in adult prisons

​Juveniles doing time in adult prisons, surrounded by older and stronger criminals, rarely fare well. But juveniles serving sentences of life without parole in the United States face particularly daunting prospects of sexual assault, neglect and long periods of solitary confinement, according ... More >>

Colorado's juvenile corrections rates drop substantially; two detention centers to close

The state's focus on youth crime is adjusting to a substantial drop in numbers as the result of a big announcement from the Department of Human Services yesterday. As of last month, the number of Colorado youth committed to juvenile detention programs has decreased to a total lower than any document ... More >>

Greg Smith, 17, charged as adult in killings of great-grandparents Charles & Laura Clagett

Laura Clagett.​After Hugo's Charles and Laura Clagett were found murdered late last month, local police identified the person of interest only as a teen relative. Now, however, we know that he's Greg Smith, the Clagett's great-grandson, who turns seventeen next week -- because the 18th Judicia ... More >>

12-year-old accused of killing parents Charles & Marilyn Long in the 1st degree, faces 9 counts

Big pics below.​Update: We still don't know the specifics about what happened in the murders of Charles and Marilyn Long, and the severe wounding of two of their children, allegedly by their twelve-year-old son -- nor do we know whether he'll be accused as an adult. But with the release of cha ... More >>

Boys play with lighters and face arson charges, parents feel burned

Columbine effect 12 years later: Are schools and cops going too far in prosecuting juveniles?

Evie Hudak​In the dozen years since the Columbine shootings, school officials have become hypervigilant about potential troublemakers in their midst -- so hyper, in fact, that state lawmakers are now seeking a formal review of school disciplinary procedures to determine if principals are too q ... More >>

12-year-old accused of killing parents to become youngest Coloradan tried as adult for murder?

Big pic below.​A petition has been filed in juvenile court regarding a 12-year-old from Burlington suspected of killing his parents, Charles and Marilyn Long, and wounding two siblings. But prosecutor Robert Watson still hasn't decided whether to ask for a transfer to adult court. If he does, ... More >>

Jacob Christenson arson case: Denver Post backpedals on story, confused about kid stuff

Jacob & Mom.​Cloaked in secrecy, juvenile court matters are so rarely covered in Colorado that it's been instructive watching the Denver Post fumble a bit in its reporting on Jacob Christenson, the eleven-year-old in Parker charged with second-degree arson over a fire that caused $195,000 in d ... More >>

City Park Dispensary: Medical marijuana center too close to juvenile hall, forced to close soon

​Last week a reader posted a tip that City Park Dispensary -- which garnered a favorable review from us back in July for its unique strains -- was being forced to close down. Unfortunately, the rumor is true. And the reason has is approximately 100 feet long.

Children behind bars: Why Colorado is trigger-happy when it comes to sentencing kids like Alan Sudduth as adults

Alan Sudduth was sixteen years old when prosecutors charged him as an adult.​Our cover story this week recounts the tale of Alan Sudduth, a juvenile who was sentenced to seventy years in prison in 1996 for the murder of a cab driver -- even though a recent hearing showed that the prosecution's ... More >>

The Asian Brad Pitt gives out "screamin' deals" for juvies with warrants

Judge Kerry Hada: What do you think, Angelina?​A tall seventeen-year-old boy wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of deejay earphones around his neck stood facing Judge Kerry Hada in Division 191-J of the Denver County Juvenile Court, a small wood-paneled courtroom that was packed this morni ... More >>

Colorado Crimes: Firefighter Shane Hayden creates his own emergency -- by allegedly attempting to lure a child for sex

Shane Hayden.​Firefighters are supposed to save kids, not endanger them. But if accusations against Shane Hayden, 33, are accurate, he reversed the order of this mission in an especially vile way. Last month, according to the Parker Police Department, Hayden contacted an underage girl online ... More >>

Video: Teens spraypainting Rude Rec Center! And that's a good thing....

I got a call a few weeks ago from Jolt, local graffiti OG and head of the graffiti advocacy group Guerilla Garden. "Hey, man," said Jolt, aka Jeremy Ulibarri. The background was noisy, like a freight train or an... indoor swimming pool? "We're doing that project I was telling you about today. Yo ... More >>

A Killer Special

That's Life

A new law reduces sentences for some juvenile murderers.

The Last Six to Face Life for Juvenile Crimes

Life Partners

In for Life: Day Three of the Michael Tate Trial

Girl Crazy

Terra Ramirez knows what it's like to be a victim -- and to victimize.

Family Affair

Tiffany McAdam looks to the future with hope.

Juvenile

Reality Check (Atlantic)

Sis Boom Bah

In one afternoon, this Montbello student went from cheerleading to lockup.

Follow That Story

Running on Empty

Running Scared

Shawna Rush worked with troubled teens. Then she was killed by one.

Bad Boys

Denver's Juvenile Court just turned one hundred. The next years could be rough.

Best Badass Brother/Sister Boxers

Terri Cruz and Arturo Cruz Jr.

Home for Dinner

To speed up its child welfare system, Denver will need to stop kidding around.

Locked Up for Life

Is life imprisonment the solution for juvenile offenders?

Boy Wonder

Raoul Wuthrich caught the Jeffco Juvenile Justice System with its pants down.

I'm Sorry, Really I Am

Communities rely on old techniques for a new style of justice.

Look Out Below!

Hitting Close to Home

Off Limits

Juvenile Behavior

What's the real reason the state pulled forty boys from a controversial private prison?

The Burning Boy

Why would a group of teenagers in Colorado Springs set another kid on fire? Because he asked.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys

Whatcha gonna do? Let a private company try to handle your juvenile delinquents?

Public Enemy Number No. $1

The legislature says it's payback time for prisoners. So far, the prisoners haven't cooperated.

The Sins of Youth

Colorado gambles millions on a second last chance for violent teens

THE CLIENTS

ADOPTING AN ATTITUDE

JUDGE DANA WAKEFIELD IS ACCUSED--AGAIN--OF STALLING ON THE STATE'S LAW FOR ADOPTEES.

HAULED INTO COURT

A STATE LEGISLATOR FACES LEGAL ACTION ON A TAX DEBT.

FEEL THE BURN