Boulder Legal Issues Blog

As a college student, you face a lot of stress. Between heavy class loads, homework and a job to help pay the bills, you probably need to blow off some steam every now and again. You may be like many college students who choose to go out and drink to destress.

If you make unsafe choices while drinking, you may find yourself facing different consequences, like those associated with DUI charges. These consequences can often affect you for the rest of your life. Here are a few tips for staying safe when going out drinking:

When the defense and the prosecution negotiate a plea bargain, the final step is going before a judge for approval of the plea bargain. There is no absolute guarantee that a court will accept any plea bargain agreed upon by the parties. Court are independent bodies, and part of the job of judges is to carefully review proposed plea bargains to ensure that they comply with applicable laws and that they are fair given the facts of the individual case, the history and circumstances of the defendant, and the aggravating and mitigating factors that exist in the particular case. So, when judges, perform this function, how can it affect a plea bargain that the prosecution and defense have agreed upon?

Plea bargains sometimes are an agreement that the defendant will plead guilty to a lesser charge, and leave sentencing up to the judge. Sometimes, plea bargains include specific agreements about what the sentence will be. Sometimes they involve an agreement to a just a certain aspect of the sentence: for example, a plea bargain could include an agreement that a defendant will not be sentenced to prison, but will leave to the discretion of the judge exactly what the sentence will be. If you are considering a plea bargain, it is important to have a clear understanding of exactly what agreements the plea bargain includes, and what, if anything, will be left up to the judge.

An online investigative news outlet recently published a report that may be of interest, or perhaps useful or alarming, to anyone traveling to or from Colorado by bus or train. The publication describes itself as "dedicated to holding the powerful accountable."

According to the article, federal law enforcement agencies commonly patrol Amtrak and Greyhound for passengers carrying illegal drugs. The agents take the opportunity presented by trains and buses to make arrests and seizures. Their tactics are disturbing to some civil liberties advocates even when legal, and they sometimes appear to be illegal, according to The Intercept.

When someone experiences an overdose, they and the people near them may feel that they have to make a hard choice between looking for help and avoiding authorities. In Colorado, that is a misconception. In Colorado, the law provides immunity for those seeking treatment for an overdose.

The Colorado Court of Appeals discussed the overdose immunity law in a recent case, People v. Harrison. The facts of the case surround a young woman who was taken to a hospital for treatment after employees at a fast-food restaurant found her unresponsive. She was then arrested and convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia, among other charges. The Court of Appeals vacated the conviction, because the manager of the restaurant had called 911 out of concern for the woman's symptoms, which were related to an overdose.