25 Jan Denver County Judges Accused of Mishandling Bond in Misdemeanor Cases
January 25, 2015
Denver, Colorado
Denver County judges are knowingly violating state laws in setting bond in misdemeanor cases and wrongfully denying defendants’ requests to argue for lower bail, according to claims against the county.
The Colorado public defender’s office filed three lawsuits against Denver County Courts in June alleging that judges abused their power by denying defendants fair and timely hearings on bail. Attorneys and experts say failure by judges to set appropriate bond leaves low-level offenders in crowded jails days longer than necessary and unfairly targets and punishes people who are still presumed to be innocent.
“It reeks of injustice,” said Iris Eytan, who has signed on as co-counsel in two of the three cases.