Sex OffendersThe AWA or Adam Welsh Child Protection and Safety Act 2006 states that it "strengthens reporting requirements by requiring sex offenders to submit information including social security number, employer and school information, fingerprints, physical description, photograph. and a DNA sample” (Rogers, 2007, p. 1). This law was signed by President George Bush in an effort to standardize sex offender laws and public websites (Rogers, 2007). Sex offenders are considered offenders under special circumstances. The mental damage caused by sexual offenses leads those who are victims to call for harsh punishments. On the contrary, the vast network that catches various low-level offenders pushes them to ask to be exempted from harsh punishments. This article will examine the needs of sex offenders, making sure not to neglect the emotions of victims. Sex offenders are not really any different from other offenders. In many ways, they actually possess the characteristics of other offenders. Sex offender laws have basic national criteria and vary widely by state and even county. These variations leave room for large gaps in sanctions and community notification methods. For example, Iowa recently changed its laws to tighten the noose on the mere existence of registered offenders. Before 2009, laws prohibited offenders from living within certain distances of places frequented by minors, such as schools, libraries and parks. Offenders were free to roam their towns as long as they did not reside there. In 2009, it was decided that residency was not enough to restrict; offenders even had to be banned from being in these areas (Meirick, 2011). This law is a prime example of extreme measures...... middle of article......www.uiowa.edu/~ilr/issues/ILR_96-3_Meirick.pdfRogers, L. (2007). Sex Offender Registry Laws: From Jacob Wetterling to Adam Walsh. Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Supervision, Arrest, Registration and Tracking (SMART). Retrieved April 15, 2011, from https://d2l.wcupa.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=309247&tId=36 53384Thakker, J., and Gannon, T. (2010). Treatment of rape: an overview of current knowledge. Behavior Change, 27(4). Retrieved April 15, 2011 from https://d2l.wcupa.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=309247&tId=36 53384 Young, M., Justice, J. and Edberg, P. (2010) . Sex offenders undergoing psychiatric treatment in prison: a biopsychosocial description. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Retrieved April 15, 2011 from https://d2l.wcupa.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/view.d2l?tId=3653384&ou=309247