Colo. Rev. Stat. » Title 18
Colorado Revised Statutes

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-6.5-101 (2026)

Legislative declaration

✓ current as of July 2026
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The general assembly recognizes that fear of mistreatment is one of the major personal concerns of at-risk persons and that at-risk persons are more vulnerable to and disproportionately damaged by crime in general but, more specifically, by abuse, exploitation, and neglect because they are less able to protect themselves against offenders, a number of whom are in positions of trust, and because they are more likely to receive serious injury from crimes committed against them and not to fully recover from such injury. At-risk persons are more impacted by crime than the general population because they tend to suffer great relative deprivation, financially, physically, and psychologically, as a result of the abuses against them. A significant number of at-risk persons are not as physically, intellectually, or emotionally equipped to protect themselves or aid in their own security as non- at-risk persons in society. They are far more susceptible than the general population to the adverse long-term effects of crimes committed against them, including abuse, exploitation, and neglect. The general assembly therefore finds that penalties for specified crimes committed against at-risk persons should be more severe than the penalties for the commission of the same crimes against other members of society.

Source: L. 91: Entire article added, p. 1778, § 2, effective July 1. L. 93: Entire section amended, p. 1733, § 22, effective July 1. L. 2016: Entire section amended, (HB 16-1394), ch. 172, p. 545, § 1, effective July 1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 8 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1997–2026 · leading case: People v. McKinney.
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People v. McKinney (Colo. 2004). · cites it 5× “§ 18-6.5-101 to -106, 6 C.R.S. (2008) ("Article 6.”
in the Interest of B.D (Colo. 2020). “” § 18-6.5-101, C.R.S. (2020). This is because at-risk victims “are more impacted by crime than the general population because they tend to suffer great relative deprivation,” and “[t]hey are far more susceptible than the general population to the adverse long- term effects of…”
People v. Watkins (Colo. Ct. App. 2005). · cites it 5× “However, she contends that the conduct for which she was sentenced is also proscribed under the statutes addressing crimes against at-risk juveniles, see § 18-6.5-101, et seq., .C.R.S.2005, and that these statutes prescribe a lesser penalty for the same conduct.”
Weston Jefferson THOMAS v. The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado (Colo. 2021). · cites it 2× “§ 18-6.5-101, C.R.S. ( 2021 ) . ¶48 Of course, the question before us isn't whether the legislature meant to punish someone who causes bodily injury to an at-risk person more severely than someone who causes bodily injury to a person who is not at risk.”
People v. Nardine (Colo. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 3× “” § 18-6.5-101; see McKinney, 99 P.3d at 1043 .”
People v. Lopez (Colo. Ct. App. 2018). “§ 18-6.5-101, C.R.S. 2017. The General Assembly noted that at-risk persons are more vulnerable than the general population and disproportionately impacted by crime “because they tend to suffer great relative deprivation, financially, physically, and psychologically.”
People v. Valdez (Colo. Ct. App. 1997). “8B), which defined “attempt,” the count did not specifically refer to § 18-6.5-101, et seq., C.R.S. (1996 Cum. Supp.”
People v. Crow (Colo. Ct. App. 2026). “” See §§ 18-6.5-101 to -108, C.R.S. 2025; People v.”
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