Chicago, IL asked in Sexual Harassment and Criminal Law for Colorado

Q: Is there a limit to how long a sex offender can be on a registry? My boyfriend said he only had to be on it for a year

he had consensual sex with a 16 or 17 year old. He said they only had him on there for a year because she initiated it.

1 Lawyer Answer
Tristan Kenyon Schultz
Tristan Kenyon Schultz
Answered
  • Fort Collins, CO
  • Licensed in Colorado

A: The default listing of a convicted sex offender in Colorado (whether the crime was committed in Colorado or another state) is life. If your boyfriend lives in Illinois then the standard term is 10 years. There is a process in Colorado to remove oneself from the registry, but this requires court approval and I have never heard of a person being removed in a year (unless the conviction was overturned). Also in Colorado it is not statutory rape to have sex with a 17 year old and for a 16 year old the offender must be at least 10 years older. I do not know the age of your boyfriend, but statutory rape of 16 year old is rare in Colorado. You may want to consider paying for a criminal background check on your boyfriend or contact the CO department of corrections (either method costs well under $100, are anonymous, and your boyfriend will not know of the request). In short, his story sounds inaccurate to me...

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