‘Jessica’s Law’ Off the Table Again In Colorado

It's politics as usual in the Colorado Legislature, where Jessica's Law died - again - earlier this month. Republicans and Democrats could not agree on whether the law is needed.  House Bill 1149  would have imposed a mandatory sentence of at least 25 years before parole on any offender who commits a sexual assault on a child.  The bill is named for Jessica Lunsford who was was sexually assaulted and buried alive in Florida back in 2005 by a man who had previously been convicted of exposing himself to a five year old girl.

A nearly identical bill died in the Colorado Legislature in 2009, and earlier this month when the bill was sent to the State, Veterans, Military Affairs committee it died on a party-line vote. Rep. Lizzy Szabo, R-Arvada, the bill's sponsor, told the Denver Post her bill would have been a tool prosecutors could have used  when appropriate. She says Colorado is one of only five states that have not adopted some version of the law.

According to the  Denver Post the Colorado District Attorney's Council, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Colorado Office of Public Defender have said the bill isn't necessary.

The bill would have required the court to impose the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on an offender who commits a sexual assault against a child who is 14 years of age or younger, and seven or more years younger than the offender at the time of the assault. The bill also stated that if an offender is released from prison he would stay on parole for the remainder of his life.