Few things can have a larger impact on an individual's life than a conviction for sex crimes. In some situations, people who are convicted will spend the rest of their lives on the sex offender registry, and they may face negative repercussions as a result.

Punishments - such as the sex offender registry - exist to minimize the chances of convicted individuals re-committing crimes. However, in some situations, the laws are so harsh that they can handicap individuals who merely got off track and made bad decisions.

One man who was recently sentenced for downloading child pornography certainly falls into the second group. The man was supported at trial by several family members and friends, and the judge received numerous letters of support from his friends and co-workers. Unfortunately, that was not enough to keep his record clean.

Prosecutors claimed that the 43-year-old man downloaded child pornography for four years, and the judge sentenced the man on Tuesday. An article in one Pennsylvania paper reported that he is facing between six and 23 months of house arrest, though the article did not specify what will determine how much time he serves.

In addition to the house arrest, the man must comply with random polygraph tests. The judge reported that his main concern is "preventing a reoccurrence," though the man's therapist said there is a very low chance that he will re-offend.

As part of his sentence, the man's name, photo and other identifying information will be on the Pennsylvania state police's Megan's Law website. Finally, the man is also forbidden from having unsupervised contact with children. Although it is unclear how the sentence will impact his home life - the man is married with three children - change will be unavoidable.

Source: phillyBurbs, "Warminster man gets house arrest for child porn," Laurie Mason Schroeder, Aug. 25, 2011