at a glance...
EMERGENCIES: Please Dial 911
ADDRESS:
26861 HWY 34 Akron, Colorado 80720
MAILING ADDRESS:
26861 HWY 34 Akron, Colorado 80720
TELEPHONE: 970-345-2244 FAX: 970-345-2419
BUSINESS HOURS:
Monday-Friday
8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
(Excluding Holidays)
Washington County Victim's Assistance Program
EMERGENCIES: PLEASE DIAL 9-1-1
Glossary of Legal Terms
Arraignment: Court hearing when a defendant pleads guilty or not guilty, after a preliminary hearing. Witnesses do not testify at this hearing.
Bond: Money or property that is promised or given to the court to make sure a defendant will come back to court after getting out of jail.
Compensation: A program to help pay for medical or funeral expenses, mental health therapy or lost wages for victims of a violent crime. A police report must be made. You must apply for these funds. Please call 970-867-9413 for information.
Continuance: When a court hearing is delayed.
Correctional Facility: Means any private or public entity providing correctional services. Correctional facilities include, but are not limited to, a county jail, a community corrections provider, the division of youth corrections, and the department of corrections.
Defendant: A person who is accused of committing a crime.
Disposition: When a case is resolved without a trial.
Filing of Charges: Presentation of written charges to the Clerk of Court. The document is called a complaint or an information.
Motions Hearing: A hearing where the judge decides what evidence will be allowed at trial.
No Contact: A condition of bond that means a defendant cannot have contact with a victim by phone, letter, through a third party or in person.
Plea Negotiations: A defendant pleads guilty to a charge or a lesser charge in return for a sentence which may be less than if convicted of all charges at trial.
Preliminary Hearings: A hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial. This is the first hearing when witnesses may have to testify.
Probation: The release, under conditions of good behavior, of a person convicted of a crime as an alternative to imprisonment.
Restitution: After conviction, a defendant can be ordered to pay the victim for "out of pocket" financial losses.
Sentence: The penalty which is given by a judge to a defendant upon conviction of a crime.
Subpoena: An order to come to court, which is mailed to the witness or personally delivered.
Trial: An examination of issues of fact and law before a judge or a jury. Evidence is presented to determine whether or not the defendant is guilty of committing a specific crime.
