Forensic mental health practitioners who evaluate or treat sexual offenders are responsible for knowing and understanding the laws and rules that pertain to this specialized population. Megan’s Law (also known as the Jacob Wetterling Act) is a federal law

Forensic mental health practitioners who evaluate or treat sexual offenders are responsible for knowing and understanding the laws and rules that pertain to this specialized population. Megan’s Law (also known as the Jacob Wetterling Act) is a federal law that requires registration of individuals convicted of sex crimes involving children. The Supreme Court case of Kansas v. Hendricks (1997) upheld the state’s rights to civilly commit sex offenders. The court specified further in Kansas v. Crane (2002) that states can civilly commit sex offenders only if there is some degree of volitional impairment (i.e., the ability to control one’s behavior due to a mental abnormality or personality disorder). The Adam Walsh Act is another federal law that imposes additional requirements for registration and utilization of a three-tier system of classification of sex offenders based upon the risk to the community.