Gov. Polis signs bill to change how state handles mentally incompetent defendants

追加: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Colorado has been very publicly struggling with what to do with criminal defendants deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. Today, Democratic Governor Jared Polis signed a bill meant to address that. It updates the state's competency laws to make sure that people who are not mentally healthy enough to go through and undergo the legal process, pose a danger to themselves or others, are not just released back into society. They would instead be connected with services and placed in a facility.

[00:00:22]Right now, defendants can be released and have their charges dropped. In several high-profile cases, those same defendants have re-offended.