Criminal
Civil
What is legal assistance?
Legal assistance can help victims find their way through the court system as well as locate legal information and services. Legal assistance and legal information are different from legal advice, which only lawyers can give; this website does not give legal advice. Legal assistance provided by LINC is a free service for victims of crime.
LINC works to make sure victims of crime can safely access legal information that is accurate, and resources and services that are trauma-informed services. Trauma-informed services are safe, trustworthy, collaborative, and empowering, and recognize the individual experience of people and the impact trauma and crime has on their lives.
This website is a place to start. Here, crime victims and their loved ones can learn more about the legal system in Colorado. For example, it is a place to learn about differences between the criminal and civil legal systems.
LINC also has trained Navigators who are ready to help. Navigators work to help victims of crime find the legal information and services they need. Contact a navigator for more information or for help.
What is the difference between the criminal and civil legal systems?
The legal system has two parts: criminal and civil. A single event may involve the criminal system, civil system, or both. Each system has its own rules.
The criminal system begins when an event that involves people or property is reported to law enforcement (police). Law enforcement officers investigate what happened. Prosecutors (district attorneys or city attorneys) decide whether to file criminal charges against the person who may have committed a crime (called a defendant if charges are filed). Prosecutors file a criminal case on behalf of the government. The victim does not get to decide whether or not to file charges. If a defendant is found guilty or pleads guilty, the court sets the punishment (also called the sentence). The sentence is enforced by the corrections system (prison, jail, probation, parole, or community corrections).
To learn more about steps in the criminal legal system, click here.
The civil system deals with issues between people (such as divorce, broken contracts or arguments about property) as well as harm to people and property. Sometimes people refer to a civil case as a lawsuit or suing someone. In the civil system, the victim is the person who files a case (unlike the criminal system, where the prosecutor files charges on behalf of the government). When a victim files a civil case, there is no prosecutor. Usually, law enforcement and corrections officers are not involved in civil cases.
Sometimes victims are told by law enforcement or prosecutors that what happened to them was not a crime or cannot be proven as a crime. Even in those cases, victims may still have civil legal options.
To learn more about the civil system, click here.
To learn more about the difference between criminal and civil systems, please contact a LINC Navigator.
This website gives information about the legal system, but does not give legal advice. To find affordable legal representation in your area, click here. To find information on legal clinics or legal resources, click here.
Find legal representation in your area.
List of courts by county.
Local Resources
Colorado Affordable Legal Services
Low fee landlord-tenant legal assistance.
Disability Law Colorado
Legal assistance for people with disabilities and older people, training, advocacy, and investigation of abuse.
Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic (JAMLAC)
Civil legal assistance (family law, bankruptcy, immigration) for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, bilingual assistance available.
Legal Resources Checkerboard
Collection of Colorado-specific civil legal information.
Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center
Legal services for family/kinship caregivers, guardian ad litem program for children affected by domestic violence, advocacy for educational discipline processes.
2nd Judicial District-Denver County
Information for civil and criminal courts in the City and County of Denver.
Action Center (The)
Landlord-Tenant Helpline. Food, clothes, and financial assistance for homeless individuals and residents of Jefferson County.
Bridge to Justice
Reduced fee legal services (family law, landlord-tenant, consumer protection)
Colorado Juvenile Defender Center
Juvenile criminal defense reform and legal information.
Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA)
Statewide victim services, resource database, training and technical assistance, human trafficking program, emergency funds for victims of crime.
Colorado Revised Statutes
Searchable text of Colorado Revised Statutes (laws) and Court Rules.
Denver CASA
Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected children.
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN)
Legal information and services for immigration proceedings.
Rocky Mountain Legal Center
Free and low-cost legal services (wills, bankruptcy, contracts, employment law, landlord-tenant, divorce and post-decree)
Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators (SHERLOCKS)
Courthouse-based Self-Help Center assistance for pro se (without an attorney) parties.
National Resources
SurvJustice
Training and assistance on legal rights of victims of sexual assault. Campus sexual assault and Title IX information.
WomensLaw.org
Legal information (National) for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.