The Iowa sex offender registry includes people within a wide range of offenses, and some lobbyists here at the capitol are asking the question: Should all sex offenders be put under lifetime parole sentences?
A bill that has sailed through the Senate would allow sex offenders to have lifetime parole sentences lifted under specific circumstances, including so-called "Romeo and Juliet" cases. We talk with Michael Byars, a sex offender and a former lobbyist for the bill and hear his story. We also hear from Randall Wilson, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa who works with sex offenders on their constitutional rights, Karin Hamilton, a Public Service Executive at the Iowa Department of Public Safety, and Nicole Merrill a staff attorney at the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault.