Colorado legal term
Mentally incompetent to be executed in Colorado Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Colorado legislative session
In Colorado criminal law, “Mentally incompetent to be executed” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Colorado criminal code.
What does “Mentally incompetent to be executed” mean in Colorado criminal law?
"Mentally incompetent to be executed" means that, due to a mental disease or defect, a person who has been sentenced to death is presently unaware that he or she is to be punished for the crime of murder or that the impending punishment for that crime is death. (C.R.S. § 18-1.3-1401)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.