2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 16 - Criminal Proceedings
Code of Criminal Procedure
Article 11.9 - Standardized Screening Process for Mentally Ill Offenders
§ 16-11.9-101. Legislative declaration

The general assembly hereby finds and declares that, based upon the findings and recommendations of the 1999 interim committee to study the treatment of persons with mental illness in the Colorado criminal justice system, detecting mental illness in persons in the criminal justice system is a difficult process with no current statewide standards or requirements. The lack of a standardized screening process to detect persons with mental illness in the criminal justice system is a significant impediment to consistent identification, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of all mentally ill offenders, ultimately resulting in an increased rate of recidivism. Therefore, the general assembly hereby resolves to create a standardized screening process to be utilized at each stage of the criminal justice system to identify persons with mental illness.