§ 19-2.5-101 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 19-2.5-101

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 19: Children's
• Art.: The Colorado Juvenile Justice System

Text

(1) (a) The general assembly finds that
the intent of this article 2.5 is to protect, restore, and improve the public safety by
creating a system of juvenile justice that will appropriately sanction juveniles who
violate the law and, in certain cases, will also provide the opportunity to bring
together affected victims, the community, and juvenile offenders for restorative
purposes.

(b) The general assembly further finds that, while holding paramount the
public safety, the juvenile justice system must take into consideration the best
interests of the juvenile, the victim, and the community in providing appropriate
treatment to reduce the rate of recidivism in the juvenile justice system and to
assist the juvenile in becoming a productive member of society.

(2) The general assembly finds that the public has the right to safe and
secure homes and communities and that when a delinquent act occurs, safety and
security is compromised; and the result is harm to the victim, the community, and
the juvenile offender. The general assembly finds that the juvenile justice system
should seek to repair such harm and that victims and communities should be
provided with the opportunity to elect to participate actively in a restorative
process that would hold the juvenile offender accountable for the offense.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2021: Entire article added with relocations, (SB 21-059), ch. 136, p. 557, � 2, effective October 1.