In some cases, innovation moves too quick for legislators to maintain. When old laws need to be used to brand-new patterns, individuals might deal with extremely unjust penalties as legislators dispute the best charges and work to alter guidelines and guidelines.

Police authorities, school moms and dads, teenagers, and administrators faced this specific dilemma recently when a “sexting” scandal rocked Cañon City High School.
Numerous trainees were captured consensually exchanging naked images. Considering that the acts were consensual, you may believe that there would be no problem – a minimum of not lawfully speaking – however holding naked pictures of minors is, under existing Colorado law, kid porn.

Clearly, kid porn is a sex criminal offense in Colorado, and it is something that is taken with the utmost severity. Nevertheless, this circumstance appeared various: should teenagers who were consensually sexting each other need to deal with the extreme repercussions related to kid porn charges?

Beyond this more philosophical concern was a more useful problem: putting teenagers behind bars for felony criminal activities and treating them like sex wrongdoersares expensive. A current report on Colorado’s $5 million invested in polygraph tests exposed that these tests were in some cases utilized versus juveniles who were sending out consensual sexts.

Fortunately, none of the included teenagers at Cañon City High School wound up being charged with kid porn. Nevertheless, the scandal pressed legislators to alter the method sexting is dealt with in our courts.

Sadly, not all sexts are sent out with the authorization of the individual illustrated in the image. While just sending out “sextsin-betweenen teenagers should not call for lifetimeme on the sex culprit windows registry, many people remain in contract that penalties do require to be in location if grownups hold naked pictures of teenagers, if sexts are taken, or if sexts are dispersed without the portrayed individual’s authorization. In the incorrect hands, a sext can result in bullying and injury for the individual illustrated.

Exactly what are legislators proposing to do?

Proposed Charges for Sexting

Your house just recently passecoststs that would reduce charges and charges for teenagers that were captured sexting. Instead of dealing with felony kid porn charges, charges for sexting would consist of:

• For juveniles over the age of 14 who has a naked pictures of a teenager without their authorization: minor offense
• For juveniles over the age of 14 who publish a naked picture of a teenager without their consent: Class 2 misdemeanor

The charges for these criminal offenses, instead of time behind bars, consist of a diversion program. Furthermore, transgressors will have the ability to haly the charge expunged from their record within 42 days of finishing the diversion program.

Getting to this point hly not been simple. The existing kind he sexting expense is called “the compromise costs.” This compromise, and the dispute over the lawfulness of sexting itself, hly been going on for 2 years. Numerous legislators still desire laws ia n location that will not permit teenagers to consensually take naked pictures of themselves and share images.

If thicostts is signed into law, a post-enactment evaluation will occur 2 years after the truttoto determine the success of having these charges.

If Your Teenager Is Charged with Sexting-Related Criminal Offenses

In the meantime, holding naked pictures of another teen is still a felony criminal offense, and under particular scenarios, your teenager might deal with severe repercussions for sexting. As unpleasant as having a speak about sexting might be, it is necessary that you talk to your teen about sexting, authorization, and the present effects for sexting.

If your kid is captured sexting and deals with criminal charges, call a Denver criminal defense lawyer right away.