Court Partner Descriptions
- Public Defender (PD): The Colorado Public Defender’s Office is assigned to all juvenile cases pending in court if requested by the juvenile and their parent/guardian; the parent/guardian may also choose to hire their own private counsel, or to proceed without an attorney. The Public Defender’s Office does not charge a fee for their services. Sometimes, the PD’s Office has a legal conflict of interest in a case when there are multiple defendants in cases, and in that circumstance, the Court will appoint “alternate defense counsel.”
- Guardian ad litem (GAL): sometimes appointed in a case when additional support might benefit the juvenile and their parent/guardian. The GAL is an attorney whose role is to “represent the best interests of the child.” Only a court can appoint a GAL. There is no cost to the juvenile or family for a GAL.
- Colorado Youth Detention Continuum (CYDC); also known as Pre-trial services. CYDC oversees decisions about juvenile detention placement and offers supervision, assessments, and recommendations for juveniles in the justice system.
- Department of Human Services (DHS) (Family Partnerships): within the juvenile justice system, DHS has several roles. First, they keep kids safe from harm through Child Protective Services. Second, they screen juveniles who have been arrested through the HUB. Third, they operate the Family Partnerships program, which offers additional support, oversight, and case management for families in crisis.
- Probation: case management services for juveniles who have been adjudicated, either through a plea agreement or by court order after a hearing or trial. Probation services are time-specified, and can include regular check-ins with an officer, require school attendance and grade expectations, alcohol or drug monitoring, require useful public service hours, home monitoring, and other constraints on behavior.
- Bridges: program offered through Larimer County when a juvenile has a combination of mental health needs, particularly substance abuse, and a pending criminal charge that is not appropriate to be resolved through Diversion.
