(Sept. 14, 2022) Did you know that Colorado law guarantees certain rights for victims of many crimes? If you are a victim of a serious crime like assault, menacing, domestic violence, robbery or burglary, you have a legal right to:
- Be treated with fairness, respect and dignity
- Be free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse
- Be informed of critical stages of the criminal justice process
- Be present for, and heard, at certain stages of the criminal justice process.
The Colorado Department of Public Safety has a special unit dedicated to victims’ rights, housed within the Division of Criminal Justice Office of Victims Programs. You can find out more about your rights as a victim on their Victim Rights Act website.
If you believe that your rights as a victim have been violated pursuant to Colorado's Victim Rights Act (VRA), you can contact the VRA Specialist for more information and assistance: kim.branham@state.co.us. If you’re not able to resolve your concerns directly with the local agency you’ve been dealing with, Colorado has a VRA subcommittee that reviews formal complaints and recommends steps to ensure agencies are respecting the legal rights of victims in their communities.
For more information, visit the Division of Criminal Justice website.