Some Colorado DAs and human trafficking survivors divided over bill requiring mandatory prison for certain sex crimes

Colorado is among the top ten states in the country for human trafficking and most of the victims here are children.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation says 64% of human trafficking survivors are under age 18 and, under current state law, some of their abusers receive probation.

A bill by state Sen.s Byron Pelton and Dylan Roberts would change that.

Roberts says the current law is failing children.

"How do we hold buyers of children accountable for their crimes?" he said.

Under the legislation, anyone convicted of crimes related to child solicitation would be sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison. State analysts say each year, an average of 25 of those offenders receive probation.

Camryn Finnigsmier among those who testified in support of the bill.

"The longer I was trafficked the more I found myself disassociating," she said.

She told the Senate Judiciary Committee she was 16 years old when men began buying her for sex. She says those men now live free while she lives with a lifetime of trauma.

"Trafficking continues because there are virtually no consequences for those who seek out to buy children for sex."

While some of the state's district attorneys also testified in favor of the bill, the Colorado District Attorneys' Council hasn't taken a position on it.

If the bill passes, someone who has sex with a minor could get a lighter sentence than someone who solicits a minor for sex but doesn't follow through.

Survivors like Rebecca Layton also have concerns about the bill. She says the way it's written, victims could be charged with solicitation.

"Under this bill, many would continue to be charged with the very acts they were coerced into," she said.

Opponents say an 18-year-old who solicits a 17-year-old for sex could also go to prison under the bill.

"This one-size-fits-all approach will assuredly lead to unjust outcomes," said Luke McConnell, a criminal defense attorney.

Pelton says the bill is about justice for victims.

"We're doing everything we can to protect the innocence of our youth in Colorado and making sure that they stay innocent," Pelton said.

Under the bill, seven current crimes related to child solicitation would carry minimum mandatory sentences of four years. The bill also creates a new crime of Internet Luring of a Child when the purpose is for commercial sexual activity. It would also be subject to the four year miniumum.

After hearing testimony from about 40 witnesses, the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on the bill so the sponsors could work on amendments.