TOOLKIT

Support Municipal Sentencing Reform in Denver!

Colorado's municipal courts have become the most punitive courts for low-level offenses-- and Denver's municipal court is no exception.

With a recent Colorado Supreme Court decision, it's clear Denver’s municipal code is unconstitutional and outdated by allowing up to 30x higher sentences than state law for lowest-level poverty offenses like camping and petty theft of food or survival items.

Denver must update its municipal code to comply with the constitution and reflect Denver values. Council Members Lewis, Parady, and Gonzales-Gutierrez are doing just that by championing critical municipal sentencing reform efforts this year in Denver.

Here’s how you can help right now:

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Reach out to your city council member.

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Getting your email started…

Use a clear subject line: Support Municipal Sentencing Reform in Denver!

  • Let them know that as their constituent, you support the sentencing reform efforts led by Council Members Lewis, Gonzales-Gutierrez, and Parady. 

  • Ask your council member to support this sentencing reform too.

  • Explain why you support this reform. Check out the talking points below for ideas.

  • Ask for a meeting with your council member if you feel comfortable!

If you’re writing to Council Members Lewis (District 8), or At-Large Council Members Gonzales-Gutierrez, and Parady– thank them for leading on this effort!

Why this reform matters: Ideas for outreach

Denver’s current sentencing scheme is unfair.

  • Sentencing disparities between municipal and state courts inevitably lead to arbitrary and unequal justice.

  • It is unfair and illogical that when officers write tickets, they decide whether to charge in municipal court– with possible sentences 30x longer than in state court.

  • Long jail sentences should not be used to coerce people into treatment for substance use disorder. Coerced treatment increases stigma and decreases the chances of success and we can better meet the needs of our neighbors by investing in community-based treatment.

Homelessness is not solved with incarceration.

  • More and more people have lost housing in Denver in the wake of the high costs of living - we need a ramp out of homelessness for these folks, not a ramp into jail.

  • Jail exacerbates homelessness. Jail sentences are the least effective, most expensive, and an overall cruel way to address homelessness. Instead, Denver should invest in mental health support, substance use disorder treatment, and permanent housing solutions.

Denver’s code impacts our immigrant neighbors.

  • Arresting people for low-level municipal offenses creates more interactions with ICE. Municipal offenses should not threaten people’s entire livelihood with deportation.

  • Even the threat of a long municipal jail sentence has immigration impacts. Whether or not someone ends up serving a jail sentence for a municipal offense, having long sentences on Denver’s books means that people’s immigration cases are negatively impacted.

Denver’s ordinances should align with Denver’s values.

  • City Council has a duty to adopt a municipal code that represents Denver’s values. The current code does not reflect our values because it allows long jail sentences for poverty-based offenses. 

  • With the recent ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, leadership from this City Council can and should resolve issues in numerous municipal cases, while inaction may leave attorneys to litigate cases for years.

  • Denver’s municipal code and budget should reflect our community values, which means spending money on solving and preventing problems, not warehousing poor people in jails. 

More about Municipal Court Injustices and Reform

  • Judge Mark Gonzales explains paperwork to a defendant as he presides over his courtroom during the morning docket at Greeley Municipal Court in Greeley on Sept. 18, 2024.

    How Colorado’s municipal courts became the most punitive forum for minor crimes.

    THE DENVER POST | (Sep. 24, 2024)

    read More
  • Gavel on a judge's bench

    A Colorado court sends poor people to jail without access to lawyers, advocates say. It doesn’t record the proceedings.

    THE DENVER POST | Feb. 15, 2026

    Read more
  • Support HB26-1134 Municipal Court Fairness and Transparency

    Learn more about ongoing statewide reform, HB26-1134 Municipal Court Fairness and Transparency.

    Learn More
  • Hands holding bars

    Harsh sentencing in Colorado municipal courts is unfair and “deeply troubling”.

    THE DENVER POST | May 1, 2025

    read more
  • State Sen. Judy Amabile and State Sen. Mike Weissman

    Opinion: Fairness in Colorado’s courts should not depend on your ZIP code.

    THE COLORADO SUN | Mar. 26, 2025

    read more
  • Lynell Brunner sits for a portrait inside a holding room within the Mesa County Detention Center in Grand Junction on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.

    They’re in custody and facing jail. Why isn’t Grand Junction’s municipal court providing them attorneys?

    THE DENVER POST | Oct. 17, 2024

    Read More

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