HB13-1264 Summary

• Repeals the death penalty in Colorado for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2013, replacing it with mandatory life imprisonment without possibility of parole for Class 1 felonies.

• Applies only prospectively; does not commute or alter sentences of defendants convicted before the effective date, allowing existing death sentences to proceed under prior law.

• Makes conforming amendments throughout Colorado Revised Statutes to replace references to "capital offenses" with "Class 1 felonies" and updates sentencing procedures and appellate review provisions for non-capital cases.

• Establishes legislative findings that the death penalty is failed policy based on risk of executing innocent persons, geographic disparities in application, disproportionate impact on minorities, high costs, and international consensus against capital punishment.

• Includes a safety clause declaring the act necessary for immediate preservation of public peace, health, and safety.