Colorado Lawmakers Want To Register Fewer Juveniles As Sex Offenders

CPR News
The Colorado Capitol.

Colorado lawmakers have advanced a proposal to place fewer convicted juveniles on the state sex offender registry and partially seal the list from the public.

The Denver Post reports that research shows harshly penalizing juvenile sex offenders has done nothing to improve public safety or rehabilitate the offenders.

Officials say the draft was endorsed Thursday by an interim committee of lawmakers tasked with considering changes to how the state justice system treats people with mental illness.

Officials say the proposal would also partially seal the registry meaning the public would still be allowed to request information about people but the complete list would no longer be publicly available except for some public entities like schools.

Officials say the draft was voted to be introduced next year.