The Defense Counsel First Appearance Grant Program launched with the purpose of reimbursing in whole or in part, costs associated with the provision of defense counsel to defendants at their first appearance in municipal courts as required under Section 13-10-114.5 Colorado Revised Statute.
Effective July 1, 2018 under section 13-10-114.5 Colorado Revised Statute:
- At the time of first appearance on a municipal charge, if the defendant is in custody and the charged offense includes a possible sentence of incarceration, the court shall appoint counsel to represent the defendant for purposes of the initial appearance unless, after a full advisement pursuant to C.M.C.R. 210 and section16-7-207 Colorado Revised Statute, the defendant makes a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of his/her right to counsel.
- If the defendant remains in custody, the appointment of counsel continues until the defendant is released from custody. If the defendant is released from custody, he/she may apply for court-appointed counsel, and the court shall appoint counsel if the court determines that the defendant is indigent and the charged offense includes a possible sentence of incarceration.
Participating municipalities will have the opportunity to request reimbursement at a rate of $100 per hour for eligible cases.
Who Should Apply
Municipal courts.
The Application and Reporting Process
All applications and quarterly reports must be submitted using the online grants portal to be considered for an award.
If you do not yet have an account, you will need to create one using the prompt on the login page. Log into the system and complete each section of
How to Submit a Defense Counsel on First Appearance Request/Report
Please use the Defense Counsel on First Appearance Program Request for Reimbursement Form to complete requests within the Grants portal.
Funding Information
Program Timeline
A Payment Request and/or Status Report is due 30 days after each quarter of the calendar year.
Quarter 1: Payment Request and Status Report due April 30
Quarter 2: Payment Request and Status Report July 30
Quarter 3: Payment Request and Status Report October 30
Quarter 4: Payment Request and Status Report January 30
Resources
Contact Information
Initial Interest
Direct inquiries regarding initial program interest to your Regional Manager. Use the other program contacts once the initial process with your Regional Manager is complete.
Program Contacts
Mitchell Craddock
Program Manager
(303) 815-7078
mitchell.craddock@state.co.us