The bill changes the minimum age of a juvenile who is subject to the juvenile court's jurisdiction. Under current law, juveniles who are 10 years of age and older can be prosecuted in juvenile court. The bill removes juveniles who are 10, 11, and 12 years of age from the juvenile court's jurisdiction and increases the age for a prosecution in juvenile court to 13 years of age; except in the case of a homicide, then the juvenile court's jurisdiction extends to juveniles who are 10, 11, and 12 years of age.
The bill changes the minimum age of a county court's concurrent original jurisdiction with the district court in criminal actions that constitute misdemeanors or petty offenses to a person who is 13 years of age.
The bill changes the minimum age of a municipal court's jurisdiction for a charge of a municipal offense to a person who is 13 years of age.
The bill clarifies that juveniles who are 10, 11, and 12 years of age may be taken into temporary custody by law enforcement for safety and then may be referred to appropriate services. Existing funding used to serve children who are 10, 11, and 12 years of age through the Colorado youth detention continuum may continue to serve those children.
Under current law, a juvenile court may transfer the juvenile to district court for criminal proceedings under certain conditions. The bill eliminates the ability for the juvenile court to transfer the juvenile to the district court for juveniles who are 12 or 13 years of age. Furthermore, for a juvenile who is 14 years of age or older, the bill changes the current authority of the juvenile court to transfer the juvenile's case for any delinquent act that constitutes any felony to only any delinquent act that constitutes a class 1 or class 2 felony or a crime of violence.
The bill extends certain sentencing limitations that are currently provided to juveniles who are 10 or 11 years of age to juveniles who are 13 or 14 years of age.