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Mandated Sex Offender Treatment in Colorado

The Colorado Supreme Court holds in Hernandez v. People:

Construing the applicable statutory provisions, the supreme court holds that treatment is not mandated in every case where a sex offender subsequently commits an offense of any kind. Where the recommendations of the sex offender evaluation and the facts of the subsequent case do not support treatment, a sentencing court is not required by section 16-11.7-105 to order treatment. On the other hand, when the sex offender evaluation and the facts of the case support it, the trial court must impose sex offender treatment as a condition of probation. Here, the trial court ordered Hernandez to complete sex offender treatment.

Defendants first crime in 1984 was attempted second degree assault which resulted when he forcibly inserted his fingers in a woman's vagina in a restroom at a bar. Nineteen years later, he was charged with possession of a schedule two controlled substance and introduction of contraband into a detention facility and ultimately plead to simple possession. After initially refusing to submit to a sex offender evaluation, on the advise of counsel, defendant complied resulting in a recommendation that he receive treatment. According to the opinion, the evaluator found the defendant's denial of guilt in both crimes as well as his scores on various sexual deviancy measures as supportive of the recommendation:

The evaluator rated Hernandez as being at high risk for a repeat sexual offense based upon his: (1) denying having sexually assaulted the previous victim; (2) taking no responsibility for possessing cocaine in his most recent offense; (3) exhibiting defensiveness throughout the evaluation process; (4) lacking victim empathy; (5) lacking motivation to engage in offense specific treatment; (6) having previously used coercive force against a female adult victim and registering arousal levels to a female adult and a female teen in a coercive sexual situation, in comparison to a consensual sexual male/female adult encounter, during the assessment; and (7) having a considerable substance abuse history.

One wonders how effective treatment will be for this recalcitrant offender.

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