Tag: solsa
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After hearing from Colorado’s justices, 10th Circuit rules defendant cannot challege parole eligibility — yet
The federal appeals court based in Denver ruled on Monday that a defendant who is serving a potential life sentence for crimes he committed as a 15 year old cannot pursue a constitutional challenge now to any future decision about his parole eligibility. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit reached its decision…
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Colorado Supreme Court identifies potential red flag in state’s sex offender sentencing law
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday suggested the 25-year-old law governing criminal sentences for sex offenders might run afoul of the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment when applied to juveniles serving lengthy terms of incarceration. The ultimate question of whether the Sex Offender Lifetime Supervision Act, or SOLSA, is unconstitutional in the case of…
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Colorado justices ponder parole requirements for juvenile sex offenders amid constitutional challenge
Colorado’s justices on Tuesday appeared to believe the state law authorizing lengthy sentences for adult sex offenders does, when applied to juveniles, account for the guardrails necessary to comply with the U.S. Constitution. However, that determination would only be a piece of the larger puzzle, due to the unusual manner in which the case of…