The Court of Appeals applied the factors for extending an adult’s speedy trial deadline to juveniles facing criminal charges
By Michael Karlik | SOURCE: COLORADO POLITICS
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified for the first time earlier this month that the same criteria used to extend an adult criminal defendant’s speedy trial deadline also apply to juveniles.
The federal and state constitutions guarantee the right to a speedy trial. In Colorado, that means the government generally must bring defendants to trial within six months of a not guilty plea. Judges may grant an extension over the defendant’s objection if the prosecution’s evidence is unavailable by the trial date or the state faces unusual hurdles in preparing more serious cases.
For accused juveniles, however, the deadline is shortened to 60 days. In defending a Mesa County judge’s decision to extend a juvenile’s arson trial beyond that window, prosecutors argued the judge only needed to find “good cause” to do so, broadly speaking.
A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals disagreed, citing the factors explicitly mentioned in Colorado law for extending the speedy trial deadline for adult cases.