Victim Rights Act (VRA)

The Victim Rights Act (VRA) in Colorado ensures that crime victims are treated with fairness, respect, dignity and that they are free from intimidation, harassment, and abuse. The VRA also helps to ensure that victims are informed of critical stages of the criminal justice process and that they may be present for, and heard, at certain stages as well.

Victims of crime and/or their advocates can contact the VRA Compliance Program to request help or File a Formal Complaint concerning an alleged violation of their rights. We also provide Information For Agencies to help them understand and comply with the Victim Rights Act.

What is the Victim Rights Act?

Colorado voters amended the state Constitution to include Victim Rights in 1992. The Victim Rights Amendment states:
Any person who is a victim of a criminal act or such person’s designee, legal guardian, or surviving immediate family members if such person is deceased, shall have the right to be heard when relevant, informed and present at all critical stages of the criminal justice process. All terminology, including the term “critical stages” shall be defined by the general assembly (Article II, Section l6A Colorado State Constitution).

Colorado law guarantees certain rights for victims. View Crimes that Fall under the Victim Rights Act (PDF) for a full listing of these rights. The statutes also outline the responsibilities of criminal justice agencies and provide a way for victims to file a claim if they believe an agency has failed to uphold their victim rights. Read more about victim rights act in Colorado in the Colorado Crime Victim Rights Brochure (PDF - additional versions below):

Crime Victims Have Rights! (Large Print) (PDF, English)
Víctimas de Crimen Tienen Derechos! (PDF, Spanish)
Потерпевшие от Преступлений Имеют Права! (PDF, Russian)
Korean Crime Victims Have Rights! (PDF, Korean)
Vietnamese Crime Victims Have Rights! (PDF, Vietnamese)
Chinese Crime Victims Have Rights! (PDF, Chinese)

You can read the full statutes below:

What are my rights as a crime victim?

If you are a victim of a crime covered by the Colorado Crime Victim Rights Act, you are entitled to some core rights:

To be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity;
To be informed of all "critical stages" of the criminal justice process (victims must request notification, in writing, for post-sentencing critical stages); and,
To be present and heard at specified critical stages in the criminal justice process.

View the Victim Rights Brochure (PDF) for a full list of rights. Note that additional rights and services are provided to child victims of crime.

Post-Sentencing Notification Enrollment

Following the sentencing of an offender, the offender will be supervised by a post-sentencing agency. After sentencing, it is your choice whether or not to enroll for notification with the post-sentencing agency supervising the offender.
In order to sign up for a post-sentence notification program, you will need to contact the post-sentencing agency to which the offender was sentenced. Below are instructions for different agencies.