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Yes, the courts must provide auxiliary aids to courtroom spectators as needed to ensure their equal participation in and benefit from court programs and services. Access to these services must be provided unless the court can demonstrate that the accommodation would result in a fundamental alteration of the nature of a service, program, or activity or cause undue financial or administrative burden. For example, an untimely request for accommodation by a spectator may not be made if it would require a continuation of the court proceedings, causing an undue administrative burden of rescheduling the parties, attorneys and witnesses.

In Colorado, prospective adoptive parents in kinship or custodial adoption cases are required to participate in a family assessment or home study. A social worker from a licensed placement agency will conduct the home study and provide a detailed written report to the court. The purpose of the home study is for the caseworker to visit your home, interview you and educate, prepare and evaluate the adoptive family. 

In kinship and custodial adoption cases, the potential adoptive parents can ask the court to waive the assessment by completing and filing the Motion to Waive the Family Assessment/Home Study (JDF 515) and the Order (JDF 516). C.R.S. § 19-5-206(g).

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will prepare and issue the child’s new birth certificate.  

Vital Records, Birth Unit 
4300 Cherry Creek Drive 
South Denver, Colorado 80246-1530 
(303) 692-2200 
Link to Website: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/vitalrecords 

Steps to a new birth certificate

Step 1 

Complete a Report of Adoption Form found on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website or by clicking on this link: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/adoption-information A report of Adoption must be completed for each child that has been adopted. Fill it out very carefully! This form will be used to create the new birth certificate. A form with cross outs and white out over mistakes will not be accepted. 

Step 2 

Submit the original Report of Adoption Form and 2 additional copies to the court on the date of the adoption hearing. The court will certify the Report of Adoption and send it along with a certified copy of the Final Decree to the Colorado Vital Records Division. 

Step 3 

Vital Records Division will process a new birth certificate. The Vital Records Division will contact you within 4-6 weeks of the hearing and ask the adoptive parents to:

• Complete a Vital Records application
• Provide photo identification of the adopting parents
• Pay a processing and a birth certificate fee

Restorative Justice or Restorative Community Justice is a philosophy or way of delivering justice that balances the needs of the victim, community and offender in determining the appropriate response to a criminal offense. In general, people who practice restorative justice believe that crime damages individual and community relationships and that safety and the restoration of those relationships through either voluntary or mandated actions of the offender should be the primary goal of the criminal justice system.

Adult and juvenile felony and misdemeanor offenders can be placed on probation. On rare occasions a youth adjudicated for a petty offense may be on probation. A risk assessment is conducted on each probationer to determine the level of supervision necessary to reduce the potential to re-offend. Higher risk offenders receive intensive supervision rather than regular probation. Defendants charged with drug related offenses may have their cases assigned to Adult or Juvenile Drug Court, requiring intensive supervision directed to supporting sustained sobriety.

A person convicted of a felony in the following areas will not be allowed to adopt: 

• Child abuse or neglect 
• Spousal abuse 
• Any crime against a child, including, but not limited to, child pornography 
• Any crime of domestic violence 
• Violation of a protection order 
• Any crime involving violence, rape, sexual assault or homicide 
• Any felony physical assault or batter conviction or felony drug-related conviction within the past 5 years. C.R.S. §§ 19-5-207(2.5)(a) and 208(5). 
  • A person convicted of a misdemeanor in the above areas may be allowed to adopt with court approval. C.R.S. § 19-5-207(2.5)(b)(I).

Collections Investigators and the Office of Restitution Services are available to answer questions, regardless of an offender’s status.

However, responsibility for collection of restitution transfers to the Department of Corrections or the Division of Youth Services while the offender is in custody of that facility. Payments continue to be sent to the Clerk of Court for disbursement to victims. Please contact the appropriate department listed below for additional information:

Department of Corrections
Inmate Banking
PO Box 230
Canyon City, CO 81215
Phone: (719) 269-4271 or (719) 269-4052
doc_inmateaccounts@state.co.us

Division of Youth Services
4255 South Knox Court
Denver, CO 80236
Spiro Koinis, Victim Services
Phone: (303) 866-7852 or (720) 810-3003
spiro.koinis@state.co.us