UNDERSTANDING IOWA’S SEX CRIMES

Sex Crimes take many different variants, with many diverse and severe consequences attached.  Sex crimes can range from a Class A felony that requires life in prison to a serious misdemeanor, the second lowest level offense in the State of Iowa.  In addition to prison or jail, Iowa Sex crimes include a wide variety of collateral punishments, which in of itself can be severe. This includes the following:

The Sex Offender Registry.  Certain crimes require a convicted individual to register on the Sex Offender Registry for a period of 10 years or if the crime is aggravated offense, a lifetime registry.  Being on the sex offender registry requires updated personal information, including your address and a photograph of you available to the public and can include restrictions on where you can reside and with whom you can reside.

Sexual Offender Treatment Program (SOTP).  This is a program that an offender is required to comply with if sentenced to prison or probation.  This program involves electronic monitoring, curfews, limited internet use, polygraph assessments, and penile plethysmography.

Special Sentence. Certain crimes require the offender to be sentenced to a “special sentence” or more simply put, lifetime parole.  Essentially, unless otherwise excused by a parole board, an individual will be supervised by the department of corrections for the rest of their lives.

Civil Commitments.  A person who is convicted, and serves out the sentence imposed by a Court may still not be finished with the case.  Under Iowa Civil Commitment law, if a person is convicted of a sexually violent offense, serves their sentence, they may again find themselves confined to a mental institution if court finds them to be a “sexual predator”.   This confinement lasts until the mental abnormality is cured.

Chemical Castration. If a person is convicted of a serious sex offense, the Court or the board of parole may require the person to undergo medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment. This treatment castrates the individual and prevents them from having children in the future.