STOPDIRECTFILE.ORG is a group of committed Coloradans who wish to end the cruel and unusual practice of direct file. Direct file allows District Attorney’s in Colorado to charge and try a juvenile as an adult without a hearing or testimony of any kind from the offender. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Direct file treats youth like “mini-adults” regardless of their actual culpability. The consequences of direct filing are irreversible. Once prosecutors direct file a juvenile in adult court, the law provides no mechanism for youth to return to juvenile court, regardless of their ultimate crime, conviction or their potential for rehabilitation. Once a youth is direct filed, the law requires their removal from juvenile detention centers to an adult jail until the case is resolved, often resulting in isolation and solitary confinement.

On March 18th, 2010 STOPDIRECTFILE.ORG, Colorado League of Women Voters and the Pendulum Foundation hosted a debate on The Morality, Legality and Politics of Direct File. That debate is FINALLY edited and will be posted in sections over the next several months. Check back weekly for debate updates or check archived video posts here.

News and Social Media Releases

• Public Disagrees with Prosecutors
• Join the Debate on the Future of Juvenile Justice