Because Domestic Violence Charges Could be Awfully Serious in Colorado

1. Because Domestic Violence Charges Could be Awfully Serious in Colorado Colorado is well known for its strictness towards domestic violence offenders. Depending upon the gravity of your offense, the severeness of the penalties will vary. Being accused in a domestic violence case could leave you feeling extremely depressed, considering the harsh consequences and the long & complex legal procedures that would further follow. No, don’t even stop imagining at this point. It could be all the more frustrating when you’ll not even be able to grasp the heavy legal terms and technicalities involved since detailed legal knowledge won’t come naturally to you. Obviously. This is why professional lawyers and attorneys are in existence. Consequences of being accused as a domestic violence offender in Colorado: Mandatory arrest Allegations of domestic violence require that the police arrests the aggressor immediately, without any delay. The purpose of this is to prevent domestic violence to continue or become more serious.

2. The police officers are granted permission by the courts to make the arrest immediately. Even if you know you are not guilty, you cannot do much about it at this point, since this is a part of the procedure that you’d be required to follow. Imprisonment On being found guilty at trial or accepting the plea offer from a district attorney, you might be sentenced to jail or prison. Depending on the gravity of the offense, the term for imprisonment may vary from one year to a lifetime. Probation The court usually grants probation to the person who is convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and is a first time offender. It could be a supervised probation or an unsupervised one depending upon the severity of the offense, but both require the defendant to follow the court orders. On supervised probation, a probation officer is assigned to the convict on a monthly fee to assist the person in completing the court order requirements and on unsupervised probation, the decision is left to the discretion of the court or the judge. Retraining orders These orders require you to not make any contact with the victim (either yourself or through a third party) during the period of the restraining order. If you go against this mandatory order, then it would be considered as a separate charge. Deportation If you are an immigrant, on a visa, or an illegal alien, then even if it is the first time you are convicted of domestic violence, you would be immediately deported or may even be required serve a sentence before being deported (whether you plead guilty, no contest, plea bargain, or accept a deferred judgement). Loss of employment If you are convicted of domestic violence, you might not qualify for any government jobs and may also lose any current federal job position that you hold. Moreover, you may also be denied public service jobs (including teaching, nursing, social services, public office, etc.). Not only this, but it would also be difficult to get general private sector jobs, whatever the profession be. Public record, Expungement not easy granted When you get convicted in a domestic violence case, the notice gets posted on public and police databases. This means that the record will be available publicly for anyone to see and inspect your background. If you think you’ll be easily able to get your records sealed, then, as a matter of fact, let me tell you that the court does not easily grant the expungement order for such records and it is often a long and a complex procedure. No “drop charges” option for victim

3. If you and your spouse make up after the fight and later your spouse agrees to drop the charges of domestic violence against you, then let me tell you that it isn’t possible. Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it? It isn’t that easy even for the victim to drop the charges mid-way through the case. Unless the convict is proved innocent at trial, the charges against him cannot be dropped. A domestic violence lawyer in Colorado can prove you innocent against your DV charges. Fines and fees Being an accused domestic violence offender in Colorado, you will face court fines & fees and also the cost of probation. This is in addition to the treatment costs that you’ll be required to pay for your treatment program. Cancellation of gun rights A DV convict is not allowed to own any firearms and ammunition. Moreover, he will be discharged from a servirity clearance You would not just lose your current clearance, but also be unable to obtain a security clearance anytime in the future. This can bar you from working on any government facility and military base since getting this clearance is important in order to be eligible for the same. You might also lose your professional licenses, certificates, bonds, etc. Loss of parental rights Nothing could be more devastating than not being allowed to live with your own children. But if you are found guilty of being a domestic violence offender, then you will lose your child custody rights. It is common for the victim to get the custody of the children, after which the convict (often the father of the children) would be required to pay for child support. Loss of home and difficult to get rented/leased homes If you are guilty of committing a domestic violence offense in the state of Colorado, then you wouldn’t be able to get loans from financial institutions and banks. Moreover, landlords will most likely not rent or lease a house to DV convicts.ce which requires him to be in possession of arms and ammunition (for instance military) and wouldn’t be allowed to reenlist. The Law Offices Of Steven J Pisani, LLC Denver, CO 80202 www.pisanilaw.com (303) 635-6768