The I-70 Scout - Candidate For Governor Explains Legal System

Candidate For Governor Explains Legal System - Dec. 2

I-70 Scout - By Steven Vetter

Former Denver district attorney and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter visited with Strasburg High School students Nov. 22 about the state and federal court system and his political aspirations.

His primary reason for talking to the kids was to give an overview of the Colorado legal and penal system.

"Back in 1981, there were 3,000 prisoners in Colorado," Ritter said. "Now, there are over 20,000 people in jails across the state. That population alone is big enough to be the 13th largest county in the state. Well over 40 counties have fewer people than the state has in jails."

In addition, he said, it costs around $30,000 to house and handle one prisoner each year.

"That's $600 million a year we are doling out for prisoners in this state. It's a concern," Ritter said.

According to Ritter, approximately 40 percent of all legal cases involve drugs and that the drugs of choice right now are mostly cocaine and methamphetamine. "[Meth] has become a huge problem and is the result of a lot of other more aggravated crimes," Ritter told students.

During the question-and-answer session, Ritter was asked a gamut of questions including his stance on Denver's recent vote to legalize possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana.

"It doesn't make much sense to me, especially when state and federal law trumps any local ordinance or law on the issue," he said. "It was a waste of time." Ritter said he was against a recent law in San Francisco banning all handguns in homes, but indicated he approved of banning assault and semi-automatic weapons, especially in heavily-populated metropolitan areas.

He also told the class about several issues that he expects to come to the forefront of Colorado politics. Those issues include proposed amendments to ban gay marriage, and take away non-emergency public services from undocumented immigrants, a proposed severance tax on all oil and gas exploration to go towards state purchases of 2 million acres of open space and an education funding rule to allocate 65 percent of all state education monies directly to the classroom.

Ritter is currently the only Democrat officially running for governor. He said some Democratic groups are seeking another candidate to represent the party because he is a "pro-life" Democrat.

"I'm definitely not going to get the normal 30 percent of funds that Democratic candidates usually get from [Democrat-dominated] pro-choice groups," he said. "And I'm not getting any funds from Republicans."

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