Sex offense convictions have very harsh sentences. Recently, a 15-year-old boy committed suicide after he streaked across his high schools' football field and was threatened with Indecent Exposure – C.R.S. 18-7-302 charges. While there are most likely many reasons that this young man took his own life, being threatened with being on the sex offender registry is enough for any young person to be scared. This troubling story is another example of the overreaction our culture has toward sex offenses in Denver, Adams and Douglas County.

Student Wouldn't Have Been Charged with Indecent Exposure – But He Was Threatened with It

This young man wouldn't have been charged with indecent exposure after his streaking prank. In order to be charged with this more serious sex offence, a person must show their genitals with the intent to arouse. If the “intent to arouse” element isn't present, a person would be charged with Public Indecency – C.R.S. 18-7-301, which is a much less serious non-sex crime in Arapahoe, Jefferson and Larimer County. Because streaking is usually done as a prank, or to incite team spirit, most streakers will be charged with public indecency. The school took a very harsh stance on the young man's behavior, however. According to reports, administrators recommended that the young man face a hearing in the court system to decide whether or not formal charges would be filed. They also threatened that he could be added to the sex offender registry list.

The Sentence for a Streaking Prank: Not Life-Changing for a Juvenile

Because juveniles take a different path in the justice system, the harshest sentence this young man would have faced is probation. Most likely, he would have been able to remove the offense from his record after a period of good behavior. Unfortunately, because of misinformation and scare tactics, this young student took his own life. We can all learn from sad circumstances such as these – our culture is far too afraid of sex offenders. Often, the harshness of their sentence (sex offender registration and the strict treatment of the Sex Offender Management Board – SOMB), causes sex offenders to reoffend. People need to stop and realize that sex offenders aren't always “dangerous” (as the SOMB believes), so that young people who make one bad decision don't feel hopeless about their future.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a sex offence in Highland Ranch, Littleton or the Denver Metro area, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the O'Malley Law Office at 303-830-0880, or submit the “Get Help Now” form. Together, we can protect your future.