Trumping the consequences for serious crimes like drug possession and retail theft, the potential penalties for a sex crime conviction are some of the most severe and life-altering of the entire criminal justice system. If you are convicted of a sex crime, you may face lengthy, even lifetime imprisonment. You may be placed on probation, and be required to attend classes, enroll in treatment, and remain under supervision for the rest of your life. You may be barred from visiting certain public places, seeing your children—even from accessing a computer. It is highly likely that you will lose your job and find it nearly impossible to obtain a new one. And if you work as a medical professional, teacher, or childcare worker, termination of employment and loss of your license is a certainty.
But for many people, the severest, most damaging consequence of a sex crime conviction is the experience of registering as a sex offender. In Colorado, sex crime offenders are required to register as offenders for the rest of their natural life. Once your name is in the Colorado Sex Offender Registry, it is nearly impossible to have your sex offender registry removed.
The very public registration enables anyone to access your criminal information and photograph. How can they do this? All it takes is a visit to the Colorado Convicted Sex Offender Search.
How Does the Colorado Convicted Sex Offender Website Work?
The website features extensive information for both offenders and concerned community members, including statistics, useful links, and information on the registration and community notification processes.
In addition, it has a variety of interactive functions and downloads geared towards concerned community members, including:
Search. The search function allows anyone to search for a registered offender by name, city, county, zip code, or conviction level. Alternatively, users can search using a map that shows registrants in Colorado by city. Search results include a photograph of relevant offenders, along with their name, address, physical description, offender designation, and description of their crime or crimes.
100 Most Wanted. Users can also download a list of the 100 most wanted sex offenders in Colorado. This document features photos and information on sexually violent predators with warrants out for their arrest, urging visitors to contact a hotline after spotting an offender.
Notifications. The website also features a free notification service, which sends email notifications to account-holding users regarding sex offender registrants by zip code. Whenever there is a change to a sex offender registrant’s information, account holders are notified via email within a week. Anyone can make an account by simply providing a name, email address, and password.
Who Will Appear on the Colorado Convicted Offender Website?
The Colorado Convicted Sex Offender site contains information of all adults living in Colorado who have been convicted of felony sex offenses. The website lists sex offenders under the following categories of offender designation:
Sexually violent predators. These are the sex offenders that Colorado law considers to be the most dangerous to their communities. The majority of sexually violent predators are in prison, or are living under supervision.
Multiple offenders. If you have two or more adult felony sex crimes convictions, you may be categorized as a multiple sex crimes offender.
Felony conviction. Anyone who is convicted of a felony sex offense as an adult falls under the felony conviction category.
Failed to register. Sex offenders are legally required to register on the state sex offender registry. Those who have failed to do so or have a history of failing to do so may be listed under this category on the site.
What is a Felony Sex Conviction in Colorado?
The Colorado Convicted Sex Offender Search posts information concerning offenders who are convicted of felonies. There are many different types of criminal sexual behaviors that may result in a felony sex crime conviction in Colorado, including but not limited to:
- Sexual assault
- Sexual assault on a child
- Sexual exploitation of a child
- Unlawful sexual contact
- Failure to register as a sex offender
- Incest
- Internet luring of a child
- Human trafficking
- Coercion of involuntary servitude
- Child pornography
- Prostitution
- Soliciting
If you are facing criminal charges for any type of sex crime, it’s imperative that you contact a Denver sex crimes lawyer so that you can avoid the life-long humiliation of being a registered sex offender. Your attorney will carefully review every aspect of your case, before explaining your options and helping you build the most aggressive defense possible. With a skilled sex crime defense attorney on your side, you may be able to have your felony sex crime charge reduced to a misdemeanor or dropped entirely, thus sparing you from sex offender registry and other devastating consequences.
About the Author:
Kimberly Diego is a criminal defense attorney in Denver practicing at The Law Office of Kimberly Diego. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her law degree at the University of Colorado. She was named one of Super Lawyers’ “Rising Stars of 2012” and “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Colorado” for 2012 and 2013 by The National Trial Lawyers. Both honors are limited to a small percentage of practicing attorneys in each state. She has also been recognized for her work in domestic violence cases.
