For the first time, young people in Denver city court will get public defenders

DENVER (KDVR) — Public defenders ensure that anyone facing charges in the U.S. can get legal representation. But in Colorado’s municipal courts, children who want to defend their cases must hire a private lawyer — or even represent themselves.

That changes in Denver on July 1. A new city ordinance will provide free public defenders for young people in the municipal court system, making Denver the first in the state to do so.

“By providing holistic representation, we are dedicated to working closely with our clients, their families, schools, and local youth organizations to once and for all break the school to prison pipeline and allow for powerful self-autonomy,” Colette Tvedt, chief municipal public defender, said in a release announcing the change.

Cases before municipal court could be something like a ticket for fighting, trespassing or allegations from school — low-level cases that do not reach a level to be prosecuted by the state.

Historically, the defender’s office said any young person facing a charge in municipal court would meet with the prosecutor and a diversion officer to discuss how to resolve the case, whether through a plea deal, diversion or a trial. But neither could give the youth legal advice nor could the judge.

“If a young person wanted to challenge their case, and take it to trial, they either had to represent themselves or their parents would need to hire private counsel,” the release reads.

Denver council changes public defense law for youth

Part of the reason young people in Denver municipal court were not afforded legal counsel before is they did not face jail or removal from their homes because of the case, according to the defender’s office, which argues that any involvement in the criminal legal system can have lasting effects, nonetheless.

“The harm any court contact or law enforcement contact a young person has can ripple into the rest of their lives, especially the way they see themselves. The goal here is to remind them that they have a voice, they have a say, and they matter,” the release reads.

Denver City Council passed the bill 12-0 in December, with at-large Council Member Sarah Parady absent. Paul Kashmann and Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez sponsored the bill.

The Office of the Municipal Public Defender has said it expects an extra 50 cases each month once the change goes into effect. The office will also offer a youth peer support specialist to help navigate the process.