The U.S. Supreme Court will review a federal law that’s similar to an Iowa law governing the release of sex offenders. The Supreme Court will review a federal law which lets officials keep some sex offenders behind bars after they’ve completed their prison terms if officials fear they would commit another sex crime if released.
In January, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Virginia ruled the federal law is unconstitutional. The Obama administration has appealed and the justices on the nation’s highest court today announced they’ll review the case. In April, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the release of 77 federal inmates who had served their time, but were deemed "sexually dangerous" and subject to indefinite commitment.
Iowa’s "Sexually Violent Predator Act" was passed in 1999 and a "sexual predator" unit was established within the state’s prison system to house the convicted sex offenders after their sentences have been served.