This is way early as I haven't been charge, but my state seems to throw the book at people stacking 3-4 charges for this crime and sentences 2-life. There is no point in talking about being innocent, etc.
Anyway, I'm freaking out about having this charge. No matter that the charge is not against a child, whether the 'child' is 7 or 17, it's the same. I'm told that I'm over-reacting, that unless you try to butt in or brag about your crime, just mind your own business, that people really don't talk about their charges.
I'm in Colorado by the way. Anyone have any experience with this?
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Hey ST4s, thanks again for your info. Do you think your buddy would be willing to talk to me about this stuff if I threw some money on his books?
My email is thecdavis1974 at gmail.
Thank you so much for the information, it's really helpful and I really appreciate it.
Hi Chad, I spoke with my Colorado bud earlier today who offered the following. In no particular order:
Paying for Protection – you don’t want to go that route. It’s a slippery slope indeed. You’ll end up being someone’s mark (a polite way to say “bitch”) in a nonstop escalation of financial demands.
State Protection – my bud tells me Colorado has a good program/track record of keeping sex offenders safe from inmates with ill intent.
Protective Custody – they don’t hand that out like M&Ms. It isn’t automatic. And it isn’t instant. Your best bet is, if you’re convicted, to be designated to an MR yard/facility, where the “M” stands for minimum and “R” (apologies, I forgot, minimum/restricted maybe?) – but it’s one step above an M. They’re also called camps.
Showing your papers – yes, you will be asked.
Does almost 17 matter? Not to the State of Colorado and not to Colorado inmates. Sex offenses with a minor are sex offenses with a minor. That said, if you are close in age to this minor, say, early 20’s max, and it was a one-off offense as opposed to a pattern, it will be looked upon less severely among inmates than if there were a wider age gap and/or multiple incidents.
If you’re convicted, get as favorable a PSI as possible and get thee designated to an MR facility.
Well, one of my buds (in Colorado, as a matter of fact) is 5’-5” and nobody fucks with him. It isn’t so much about size, then. It’s about how one carries oneself (confidently, but not arrogantly). Ergo, you don't need to be a big dude to be a big dude in such an environment. Know what I mean? Glad to hear you got an attorney.
Thank you so much. Yes, I have an attorney, and they painted a very bleak picture. It's been 2 1/2 weeks and no arrest. It's hard not toe contemplate ... doing something to not go to prison. I do have someone who was in prison for a similar crime (though his involved actual children). He said he only had an issue a couple of times, mostly kept to himself, but maybe that is unusual. He suggested a lot of people were there with similar charges and the ones who had problems were ones who bragged or talked about their crimes. But maybe he is trying to make me feel better. He's also a big dude, I am not.
Hi Chad, I typically get phone calls from my Colorado buds about once a week. I spotted your original post right before one such call, so, great timing! To get you solid information on your additional questions, I’ll have to come back after another one of those calls.
In the meantime, see Step One. And for Step Two, the operating theory is that the prosecution will try to paint as bleak a picture as possible. Your defense should counter that, with third-party attestations to your stellar character, community/family/career ties, and so on. A fair/balanced PSI is the key to fair/balanced everything else if you’re convicted. Maybe it’s too soon for that as you haven’t even been charged, but I’m passing that along from one of my buds who found this out the hard way.
Don’t freak out. Speak with an attorney. Today. Set the table with solid information. I’ll come back when I have further info from my buds.
Also is 'paying' for protection a thing in a situation like this (knowing it's a slippery slope...)
I know someone convicted of this and he claims the show me your papers thing is greatly exaggerated. I'm not doubting you. To get paroled, you can't be in protective custady as you can't take the necessary classes.
In terms of 'showing papers', this is not a child, this is an almost 17 year old. Does that even matter?
Step One: Get an attorney.
Step Two: If you are convicted, INSIST that your attorney provide input for your presentence investigation report (PSI).
Step Three: If you are sentenced, other inmates WILL ask you to "show your papers" (e.g. what you were convicted of). There's no "minding your own business" about it. If you refuse to show your papers, the default assumption by others will be this very thing you're rightly scared of. Protective Custody would be highly recommended in this case.
*disclaimer: I'm not an attorney. These pointers are from my buds (on the inside) in Colorado.