Part 8. Special Proceedings—Sentencing of Habitual Criminals

(1)(a) A person shall be adjudged an habitual criminal and shall be punished by a term in the department of corrections of life imprisonment if the person:
(I) Is convicted of:
(A) Any class 1 or 2 felony or level 1 drug felony; or
(B) Any class 3 felony that is a crime of violence, as defined in section 18-1.3-406(2); and
(II) Has been twice convicted previously for any of the offenses described in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a).
(b) A felony described in subparagraph (I) of paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) is:
(I) One based upon charges separately brought and tried, and arising out of separate and distinct criminal episodes, in this or any other state; or
(II) A crime under the laws of any other state, the United States, or any territory subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, which, if committed within this state, would be such a felony described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1).
(c) No person sentenced pursuant to this subsection (1) shall be eligible for parole until such person has served at least forty calendar years.
(d) Nothing in this subsection (1) prohibits the governor from issuing a pardon or a clemency order on a case-by-case basis; however, the governor shall submit a report to the general assembly on each such pardon or clemency order in accordance with section 7 of article IV of the state constitution.
(e) Nothing in this subsection (1) is to be construed to prohibit a person convicted of a class 1 felony from being sentenced pursuant to section 18-1.3-1201 for an offense charged prior to July 1, 2020, or pursuant to section 18-1.3-1302 for an offense charged prior to July 1, 2020, or pursuant to section 18-1.4-102.
(f) This subsection (1) shall not apply to a person convicted of first or second degree burglary, which person shall be subject to subsections (1.5), (2), and (2.5) of this section and section 18-1.3-804.
(1.5) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5) of this section, every person convicted in this state of any class 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 felony or level 1, 2, or 3 drug felony who, within ten years of the date of the commission of the said offense, has been twice previously convicted upon charges separately brought and tried, and arising out of separate and distinct criminal episodes, either in this state or elsewhere, of a felony or, under the laws of any other state, the United States, or any territory subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, of a crime which, if committed within this state, would be a felony shall be adjudged an habitual criminal and shall be punished:
(a) For the felony offense of which such person is convicted by imprisonment in the department of corrections for a term of three times the maximum of the presumptive range pursuant to section 18-1.3-401 for the class or level of felony of which such person is convicted; or
(b) For the level 1 drug felony offense of which such person is convicted by imprisonment in the department of corrections for a term of forty-eight years.
(2)(a)(I) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (2) and in subsection (5) of this section, every person convicted in this state of any felony, who has been three times previously convicted, upon charges separately brought and tried, and arising out of separate and distinct criminal episodes, either in this state or elsewhere, of a felony or, under the laws of any other state, the United States, or any territory subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, of a crime which, if committed within this state, would be a felony, shall be adjudged an habitual criminal and shall be punished:
(A) For the felony offense of which such person is convicted by imprisonment in the department of corrections for a term of four times the maximum of the presumptive range pursuant to section 18-1.3-401 for the class or level of felony of which such person is convicted; or
(B) For the level 1 drug felony offense of which such person is convicted by imprisonment in the department of corrections for a term of sixty-four years.
(II) Such former conviction or convictions and judgment or judgments shall be set forth in apt words in the indictment or information. Nothing in this part 8 shall abrogate or affect the punishment by death in any and all crimes punishable by death on or after July 1, 1972.
(b) The provisions of subsection (2)(a) of this section do not apply to a conviction for a level 4 drug felony committed on or after March 1, 2020, pursuant to section 18-18-403.5(2), or a conviction for a level 4 drug felony committed on or after March 1, 2020, for attempt or conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a controlled substance, as described in section 18-18-403.5(2), if the amount of the controlled substance possessed is not more than four grams of any material, compound, mixture, or preparation containing any quantity of gamma hydroxybutyrate, including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomers, or not more than two grams of cathinones or ketamine, or not more than four milligrams of flunitrazepam, even if the person has been previously convicted of three or more qualifying felony convictions.
(2.5) Any person who is convicted and sentenced pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, or section 16-13-101(2), C.R.S., as it existed prior to October 1, 2002, who is thereafter convicted of a felony which is a crime of violence pursuant to section 18-1.3-406, shall be adjudged an habitual criminal and shall be punished by a term in the department of corrections of life imprisonment. No person sentenced pursuant to this subsection (2.5) shall be eligible for parole until such person has served at least forty calendar years.
(3) No drug law conviction shall be counted as a prior felony conviction under this section unless such prior offense would be a felony if committed in this state at the time of the commission of the new offense.
(4) A person who meets the criteria set forth in subsection (1) of this section shall be adjudged an habitual criminal and sentenced only in accordance with that subsection and not pursuant to subsections (1.5), (2), and (2.5) of this section.
(5) A prior conviction for escape, as described in section 18-8-208 (1), (2), or (3), or attempt to escape, as described in section 18-8-208.1 in effect prior to March 6, 2020, with an underlying factual basis that satisfies the elements of unauthorized absence as described in section 18-8-208.2, or attempt thereof, may not be used for the purpose of adjudicating a person an habitual criminal as described in subsection (1.5) or subsection (2) of this section unless the conviction is based on the offender's escape or attempt to escape from a correctional facility, as defined in section 17-1-102, or from physical custody within a county jail; except that, for the purposes of this section, “correctional facility” does not include a community corrections facility, as defined in section 17-27-102(2.5), or a halfway house, as defined in section 19-1-103(62).

On any trial under the provisions of this section and sections 18-1.3-801 and 18-1.3-803, a duly authenticated copy of the record of former convictions and judgments of any court of record for any of said crimes against the party indicted or informed against shall be prima facie evidence of such convictions and may be used in evidence against such party. Identification photographs and fingerprints that are part of the record of such former convictions and judgments, or are part of the records kept at the place of such party's incarceration or by any custodian authorized by the executive director of the department of corrections after sentencing for any of such former convictions and judgments, shall be prima facie evidence of the identity of such party and may be used in evidence against him or her.

(1) If the allegation of previous convictions of other felony offenses is included in an indictment or information and if a verdict of guilty of the substantive offense with which the defendant is charged is returned, the court shall conduct a separate sentencing hearing to determine whether or not the defendant has suffered such previous felony convictions. As soon as practicable, the hearing shall be conducted by the judge who presided at trial or before whom the guilty plea was entered or a replacement for said judge in the event he or she dies, resigns, is incapacitated, or is otherwise disqualified as provided in section 16-6-201, C.R.S.
(2) An information or indictment seeking the increased penalties authorized by section 18-1.3-801 shall identify by separate counts each alleged former conviction and shall allege that the defendant on a date and at a place specified was convicted of a specific felony. If any such conviction was had outside this state, the information or indictment shall allege that the offense, if committed in this state, would be a felony.
(3) Upon arraignment of the defendant, such defendant shall be required to admit or deny that such defendant has been previously convicted of the crimes identified in the information or indictment. If the defendant refuses to admit or deny the previous convictions, such refusal shall be treated as a denial by such defendant that the defendant has been convicted as alleged. If the defendant admits to having been convicted as alleged in any count charging a previous conviction, no proof of such previous conviction is required. Such admission shall constitute conclusive proof in determining whether the defendant has been previously convicted of an alleged felony and the court shall sentence the defendant in accordance with section 18-1.3-801.
(4) If the defendant denies that he or she has been previously convicted as alleged in any count of an information or indictment, the trial judge, or a replacement judge as provided in subsection (1) of this section, shall determine by separate hearing and verdict whether the defendant has been convicted as alleged. The procedure in any case in which the defendant does not become a witness in his or her own behalf upon the trial of the substantive offense shall be as follows:
(a) The jury shall render a verdict upon the issue of the defendant's guilt or innocence of the substantive offense charged;
(b) If the verdict is that the defendant is guilty of the substantive offense charged, the trial judge, or a replacement judge as provided in subsection (1) of this section, shall proceed to try the issues of whether the defendant has been previously convicted as alleged. The prosecuting attorney has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant has been previously convicted as alleged.
(5)(a) If, upon the trial of the issues upon the substantive offense charged, the defendant testifies in his or her own defense and denies that he or she has been previously convicted as alleged, the prosecuting attorney on rebuttal may present all evidence relevant to the issues of previous convictions for the sole purpose of impeachment of the defendant's credibility, subject to the rules governing admission of evidence at criminal trials.
(b) If, upon the trial of the issues upon the substantive offense charged, the defendant testifies in his or her own defense and, after having denied the previous conviction under subsection (3) of this section, admits that he or she has been previously convicted as alleged, the trial judge, or a replacement judge as provided in subsection (1) of this section, shall, in any sentencing hearing, consider any admissions of prior convictions elicited from the defendant in connection with his or her testimony on the substantive offense only as they affect the defendant's credibility. In any sentencing hearing, the prosecution shall be required to meet its burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt the defendant's prior convictions by evidence independent of the defendant's testimony.
(6) If the prosecuting attorney does not have any information indicating that the defendant has been previously convicted of a felony prior to the time a verdict of guilty is rendered on a felony charge and if thereafter the prosecuting attorney learns of the felony conviction prior to the time that sentence is pronounced by the court, he or she may file a new information in which it shall be alleged in separate counts that the defendant has been convicted of the particular offense upon which judgment has not been entered and that prior thereto at a specified date and place the defendant has been convicted of a felony warranting application of increased penalties authorized in this section and sections 18-1.3-801 and 18-1.3-802. The defendant shall be arraigned upon the new information, and, if the defendant denies the previous conviction, the trial judge, or a replacement judge as provided in subsection (1) of this section, shall try the issue prior to imposition of sentence.

(1) Every person convicted in this state of first degree burglary, first degree burglary of controlled substances, or second degree burglary of a dwelling who, within ten years of the date of the commission of the said offense, has been previously convicted upon charges separately brought and tried, either in this state or elsewhere, of first degree burglary, first degree burglary of drugs or first degree burglary of controlled substances, or second degree burglary of a dwelling or, under the laws of any other state, the United States, or any territory subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, of a felony which, if committed within this state, would be first degree burglary, first degree burglary of drugs or first degree burglary of controlled substances, or second degree burglary of a dwelling shall be adjudged a habitual burglary offender and shall be sentenced to the department of corrections for a term of incarceration greater than the maximum in the presumptive range, but not more than twice the maximum term, provided for such offense in section 18-1.3-401(1)(a).
(2) Every person convicted in this state of first degree burglary, first degree burglary of controlled substances, or second degree burglary of a dwelling who has been previously convicted of two or more felonies shall be subject to the applicable provisions of section 18-1.3-801.
(3) Such former conviction or convictions and judgment or judgments shall be set forth in apt words in the indictment or information.
(4) In no case shall any person who is subject to the provisions of this section be eligible for suspension of sentence or probation.
(5) Insofar as they may be applicable, sections 18-1.3-802 and 18-1.3-803 shall govern trials which are held as a result of the provisions of this section.
(6) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that the frequency of incidence of the crime of burglary, together with particularly high rates of recidivism among burglary offenders and the extensive economic impact which results from the crime of burglary, requires the special classification and punishment of habitual burglary offenders as provided in this section.