Filing Criminal Appeals FAQ Part 1

Although a criminal conviction can be as defeating as it may be disheartening, people convicted of crimes should know that they may have the chance to appeal their convictions in some cases. In fact, the criminal appeals process has been set up to give people another chance when some type of misconduct or other factors may have led to a wrongful conviction in their case.

In this three-part blog series, we will answer some commonly asked questions about criminal appeals, including what the grounds for filing criminal appeals are and what people can generally expect from this process. If you are ready to receive some more specific answers and info about filing an appeal in your (or a loved one’s) case, contact the Colorado Springs criminal defense lawyers at Kohn Law Firm today.

Answers to Common Questions about Criminal Appeals…

Q – Who can file criminal appeals?

A – People who meet the following requirements can typically file criminal appeals:

• They were convicted of a crime by a judge or jury.
• They did not accept a plea deal in their case (in other words, they did not agree to plead guilty to lesser charges or in exchange for a less severe sentence).

Criminal appeals can only be made by defendants, as letting prosecutors file criminal appeals when they lose cases (i.e., when defendants are exonerated and acquitted) would violate people’s Fifth Amendment rights (and specifically the Double Jeopardy Clause).

Q – How long will criminal appeals cases take to be resolved?

A – It depends. Every case is different, some cases are more complicated than others, and sometimes the Colorado Court of Appeals may ask for more info about a particular case. What can compound these factors is that, at any given time, the Colorado Court of Appeals may be facing a smaller or larger caseload.

Given that all of these factors will naturally vary, the bottom line is that people should generally not expect that their criminal appeals case will be resolved quickly. In fact, these cases can take months or possibly even longer to be resolved. Therefore, people filing criminal appeals should be ready for a drawn out process and should be prepared to provide additional information or research if the appellate court ends up requesting it.

We will continue to respond to commonly asked questions about criminal appeals cases in a few upcoming parts of this blog series – make sure to check them out!

Colorado Springs Criminal Defense Lawyers at Kohn Law Firm

Have you or a loved one been convicted of a crime and need help with an appeal? If so, the Colorado Springs criminal defense attorneys at Kohn Law Firm are ready to aggressively defend your rights and help you pursue the criminal appeals process. At Kohn Law Firm, we are here to help you:

• Navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system
• Minimize the negative impacts on you and your family
• Ultimately protect your freedom and future.

Contact Us to Get Your Defense Started Today

To learn more about how we can help you, set up a free initial consultation with us by calling us at (719) 328-9555 or by emailing us using the contact form at the top of this page.

From our offices in Colorado Springs, we represent clients throughout the Pikes Peak region and Colorado.