Proposition 133 would make Colorado 7th state to require life without parole for child sex trafficking

State legislative analysts released a study in August on child sex trafficking statutes in all fifty states. They found sentences of up to life in prison in 23 states, but only 6 of those states mandate life without parole. Colorado would become the seventh if Proposition 133 passes.

In Colorado, human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude is defined as selling, recruiting and transporting a minor for commercial sexual activity. It's a Class 2 felony that carries a sentence of 8-48 years in prison with the possibility of parole. Judges can give longer sentences if they classify it as a crime of violence, or if the defendant caused serious bodily injury or used a deadly weapon.

Proposition 133 would expand the definition of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude to include buying sexual activity with a minor. It would be a Class 1 felony with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, which is the same as first-degree murder.

State fiscal analysts estimate the measure would increase spending on prisons by more than $180,000 a year starting in 2041.

Proponents say life sentences will help deter child sex trafficking.

A study by Common Sense Institute found Colorado had the 15th-highest rate of human trafficking in 2024 and, on average,  64% of victims were children.

Opponents of Proposition 133, including the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA), worry victims could face the same sentence as their traffickers. CCASA says many victims are forced to recruit other kids and, while state law allows them to use that in their defense, CCASA says those who can't prove they were coerced would now face life in prison because judges would no longer have discretion.

Democrats killed a bill identical to Proposition 133 in the state legislature this year.

It is statutory, so it needs a simple majority to pass, and the state legislature can change or repeal it.