Sex Offender Registration Definition
Sex Offender Registration – Required – Applicability – Exception, C.R.S. 16-22-103
(1) Effective July 1, 1998, the following persons shall be required to register pursuant to the provisions of section 16-22-108 and shall be subject to the requirements and other provisions specified in this article:
(a) Any person who was convicted on or after July 1, 1991, in the state of Colorado, of an unlawful sexual offense, as defined in section 18-3-411 (1), C.R.S., enticement of a child, as described in section 18-3-305, C.R.S., or internet luring of a child, as described in section 18-3-306, C.R.S.
(b) Any person who was convicted on or after July 1, 1991, in another state or jurisdiction, including but not limited to a military, tribal, territorial or federal jurisdiction, of an offense that, if committed in Colorado, would constitute an unlawful sexual offense, as defined in section 18-3-411 (1), C.R.S., enticement of a child, as described in section 18-3-305, C.R.S., or internet luring of a child, as described in section 18-3-306, C.R.S.
(c) Any person who was released on or after July 1, 1991, from the custody of the department of corrections of this state or any other state, having served a sentence for an unlawful sexual offense, as defined in section 18-3-411 (1), C.R.S., enticement of a child, as described in section 18-3-305, C.R.S., or internet luring of a child, as described in section 18-3-306, C.R.S.
(2) (a) On and after July 1, 1994, any person who is convicted in the state of Colorado of unlawful sexual behavior or of another offense, the underlying factual basis of which involves unlawful sexual behavior, or any person who is released from the custody of the department of corrections having completed serving a sentence for unlawful sexual behavior or for another offense, the underlying factual basis of which involved unlawful sexual behavior, shall be required to register in the manner prescribed in section 16-22-104, section 16-22-106 or 16-22-107, whichever is applicable, and section 16-22-108.
(b) A person shall be deemed to have been convicted of unlawful sexual behavior if he or she is convicted of one or more of the offenses specified in section 16-22-102 (9), or of attempt, solicitation or conspiracy to commit one or more of the offenses specified in said section.
(c) (I) For convictions entered on or after July 1, 2002, a person shall be deemed to be convicted of an offense, the underlying factual basis of which involves unlawful sexual behavior, if:
(A) The person is convicted of an offense that requires proof of unlawful sexual behavior as an element of the offense.
(B) The person is convicted of an offense and is eligible for and receives an enhanced sentence based on a circumstance that requires proof of unlawful sexual behavior.
(C) The person was originally charged with unlawful sexual behavior or with an offense that meets the description in sub-subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subparagraph (I), the person pleads guilty to an offense that does not constitute unlawful sexual behavior, and, as part of the plea agreement, the person admits, after advisement as provided in subparagraph (III) of this paragraph (c), that the underlying factual basis of the offense to which he or she is pleading guilty involves unlawful sexual behavior.
(D) The person was charged with and convicted of an offense that does not constitute unlawful sexual behavior and the person admits on the record, after advisement as provided in subparagraph (III) of this paragraph (c), that the underlying factual basis of the offense involved unlawful sexual behavior.
(II) If a person is originally charged with unlawful sexual behavior or with an offense that meets the description in sub-subparagraph (A) or (B) of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (c), the court may accept a plea agreement to an offense that does not constitute unlawful sexual behavior only if:
(A) The district attorney stipulates that the underlying factual basis of the offense to which the person is pleading guilty does not involve unlawful sexual behavior.
(B) The person admits, after advisement as provided in subparagraph (III) of this paragraph (c), that the underlying factual basis of the offense to which he or she is pleading guilty involves unlawful sexual behavior.
(III) The advisement provided for purposes of this paragraph (c), in addition to meeting the requirements of the Colorado rules of criminal procedure, shall advise the person that admitting that the underlying factual basis of the offense to which the person is pleading or of which the person is convicted involves unlawful sexual behavior will have the collateral result of making the person subject to the requirements of this article. Notwithstanding any provision of this paragraph (c) to the contrary, failure to advise a person pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph (III) shall not constitute a defense to the offense of failure to register as a sex offender if there is evidence that the defendant had actual notice of the duty to register.
(IV) In any case in which a person is deemed to have been convicted of an offense, the underlying factual basis of which involves unlawful sexual behavior, as provided in this paragraph (c), the judgment of conviction shall specify that the person is convicted of such an offense and specify the particular crime of unlawful sexual behavior involved.
(V) The provisions of this paragraph (c) shall apply to juveniles for purposes of determining whether a juvenile is convicted of an offense, the underlying factual basis of which involves unlawful sexual behavior.
(d) (I) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any stipulation by a district attorney and any finding by the court with regard to whether the offense of which the person is convicted includes an underlying factual basis involving unlawful sexual behavior, as defined in section 16-22-102, shall be binding on the department of corrections for purposes of classification. On or after July 1, 2008, if the department of corrections receives a mittimus that does not indicate the necessary findings as required by section 16-22-103 (2) (c) (II), the department shall notify the court and request that the court enter the necessary findings pursuant to section 16-22-103 (2) (c) (II).
(II) The department of corrections shall have the authority to make a determination that a person is a sex offender, as defined in section 16-11.7-102 (2) (a), for the purposes of classification and treatment if:
(A) The person has one or more prior convictions for a sex offense as defined in section 16-11.7-102 (3)
(B) The person has a prior offense for which a determination has been made by the court that the underlying factual basis involved a sex offense as defined in section 16-11.7-102 (3)
(C) The person has been classified as a sex offender in accordance with procedures established by the department of corrections.
(III) The procedures established by the department of corrections to classify a person as a sex offender shall require that:
(A) The classification proceeding be conducted by a licensed attorney who shall serve as an administrative hearing officer
(B) The offender’s attorney be permitted to attend, represent, and assist the offender at the classification proceeding
(C) The offender be entitled to written notice of the reason for the proceeding, disclosure of the evidence to be presented against him or her, an opportunity to be heard in person and to present witnesses and documentary evidence, the right to confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses, unless the administrative hearing officer finds good cause for not allowing confrontation, and written findings and conclusions indicating the evidence and reasons relied upon for the classification as a sex offender.
(IV) Notwithstanding any statutory provisions to the contrary, the department of corrections shall ensure that all procedures and policies comply with the federal “Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003”, Pub.L. 108-79, as amended.
(3) In addition to the persons specified in subsections (1) and (2) of this section, any person convicted of an offense in any other state or jurisdiction, including but not limited to a military or federal jurisdiction, for which the person, as a result of the conviction, is, was, has been, or would be required to register if he or she resided in the state or jurisdiction of conviction, or for which such person would be required to register if convicted in Colorado, shall be required to register in the manner specified in section 16-22-108, so long as such person is a temporary or permanent resident of Colorado. Such person may petition the court for an order that discontinues the requirement for registration in this state at the times specified in section 16-22-113 for offense classifications that are comparable to the classification of the offense for which the person was convicted in the other state or jurisdiction.
(4) The provisions of this article shall apply to any person who receives a disposition or is adjudicated a juvenile delinquent based on the commission of any act that may constitute unlawful sexual behavior or who receives a deferred adjudication based on commission of any act that may constitute unlawful sexual behavior; except that, with respect to section 16-22-113 (1) (a) to (1) (e), a person may petition the court for an order to discontinue the duty to register as provided in those paragraphs, but only if the person has not subsequently received a disposition for, been adjudicated a juvenile delinquent for, or been otherwise convicted of any offense involving unlawful sexual behavior. In addition, the duty to provide notice to a person of the duty to register, as set forth in sections 16-22-105 to 16-22-107, shall apply to juvenile parole and probation officers and appropriate personnel of the division of youth corrections in the department of human services.
(5) (a) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, if, pursuant to a motion filed by a person described in this subsection (5) or on its own motion, a court determines that the registration requirement specified in this section would be unfairly punitive and that exempting the person from the registration requirement would not pose a significant risk to the community, the court, upon consideration of the totality of the circumstances, may exempt the person from the registration requirements imposed pursuant to this section if:
(I) The person was younger than eighteen years of age at the time of the commission of the offense
(II) The person has not been previously charged with unlawful sexual behavior
(III) The offense, as charged in the first petition filed with the court, is a first offense of either misdemeanor unlawful sexual contact, as described in section 18-3-404, C.R.S., or indecent exposure, as described in section 18-7-302, C.R.S.
(IV) The person has received a sex offender evaluation that conforms with the standards developed pursuant to section 16-11.7-103 (4) (i), from an evaluator who meets the standards established by the sex offender management board, and the evaluator recommends exempting the person from the registration requirements based upon the best interests of that person and the community
(V) The court makes written findings of fact specifying the grounds for granting such exemption.
(b) Any defendant who files a motion pursuant to this subsection (5) or the court, if considering its own motion, shall provide notice of the motion to the prosecuting district attorney. In addition, the court shall provide notice of the motion to the victim of the offense. Prior to deciding the motion, the court shall conduct a hearing on the motion at which both the district attorney and the victim shall have the opportunity to be heard.
(6) Any person who is required to register pursuant to this section and fails to do so or otherwise fails to comply with the provisions of this article may be subject to prosecution for the offense of failure to register as a sex offender, as described in section 18-3-412.5, C.R.S. Failure of any governmental entity or any employee of any governmental entity to comply with any requirement of this article shall not constitute a defense to the offense of failure to register as a sex offender if there is evidence that the defendant had actual notice of the duty to register.
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