It’s been a while now that we have heard Colorado lawmakers call for a change in the law regarding juveniles and sexting. But now, it seems, there may actually be some real movement on this front. Two bills have been presented to the House Judiciary Committee addressing teenagers and consensual sexting (sending nude pictures to each other). The major reason this has been an issue under the current law, is because teenagers sending naked pictures to each other is considered child pornography. Also known as Sexual Exploitation of a Child, this crime is a felony in Greeley, Erie, and Evans. These teenagers become collateral damage under the current statute, with a potential felony record and sex offender registration. Therefore, change has been called for, and it seems that Colorado lawmakers are now addressing it.
Weld County Juvenile Sexting Attorney: What Do These New Consensual Sexting Laws Propose
According to a news report, there are two proposals for a new law regarding teenagers and sharing naked photos. The first bill would make it illegal for a teenager to share a nude photo of another teen without his or her consent. This addresses the issue that sometimes when a teen gets a naked photo of someone else, they decide to share it with a friend and quickly the photo can spread through the whole school. This bill proposes that a teen who shares a picture without the consent of the person in the photo could face criminal charges.
The second bill criminalizes a teenager possessing any sexually explicit images or sexts from another teen. Basically, this bill keeps the underlying ideas behind the Sexual Exploitation of a Child law – that possessing child pornography is illegal – but would allow an offense for a juvenile to be charged differently and not as a felony.
Greeley Consensual Sexting Lawyer: What Would the Punishment Be for Violating One of the New Sexting Laws?
While no specific information was given, it was reported that a violation of either of the new juvenile sexting laws would be minor offense in Weld, Morgan, and Logan County (most likely a petty offense or low level misdemeanor). These cases would be handled in juvenile court and probably any sort of resolution would include some sort of class or course that provides information to the juvenile about crime. See, the problem with most of these types of cases is that teens don’t know that sexting is against the law. They may know that their parents wouldn’t necessarily approve, but they haven’t been provided the information about what the law says about it and any related consequences.
If you or your child has been charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child or Juvenile Sexting, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best Greeley criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009 today. Together, we can protect your future.
Image Source: Pixabay-StockSnap