Mandatory sentences for child sex offenders will be bolstered in Colorado under a measure making its way through the legislature.
House Bill 1260 would stagger prison sentences ranging from 10 to 48 years based on the seriousness of the crime and classification of the felony sex assault.
The measure gained initial Senate approval Tuesday. And if it passes through the chamber later in the week, it then heads to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk, where it’s expected to be signed into law.
The measure is crafted somewhat after Florida’s Jessica’s Law, which imposes a 25-year minimum sentence for offenders over the age of 18 as well as a provision that if an offender were released early on parole, he would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
House Republicans this session presented a bill written exactly like Jessica’s Law, although Democrats in the chamber opted to back HB 1260.
Colorado is one of five states that does not have a Jessica’s Law.
