Tribes Continue To Establish Sex Offender Registration And Notification Systems To Protect Communities

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- July 27 marked seven years since Congress established the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, a comprehensive national system for the registration and community notification of sex offenders. The Act is named in memory of Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old boy, who was abducted from a mall in Hollywood, Fla. July 27, 1981.

To date, 16 states, 3 territories and 52 federally recognized tribes have substantially implemented SORNA.

"We are especially pleased to see the significant progress of tribal nations creating systems to register, track and provide public notification within their communities," said Karol V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs. "This is particularly commendable considering most tribal nations built these systems for the very first time."

The Department of Justice's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) continues to help jurisdictions implement SORNA requirements.

Since September 2012, the following 16 tribes have substantially implemented SORNA: Chickasaw Nation; Colorado River Indian Tribe; Hannahville Indian Community; Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe; Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin; Pueblo of Santa Ana; Quinault Indian Nation; Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community; Santee Sioux Nation; Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; Shoshone-Bannock Tribes; Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation; Skokomish Indian Tribe; Southern Ute Indian Tribe; United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma; and Wyandotte Nation.

A complete list of all states, territories and tribes who have been found to have substantially implemented SORNA can be found at: www.smart.gov.

"Although implementing SORNA created great challenges for tribal nations, its enactment also created great opportunities for those tribes to enhance their criminal justice systems and expand their information sharing capacities both internally and externally," said Allison Turkel, the SMART Office's Senior Policy Advisor for Indian Country. "The tribes' efforts have been exemplary, and indicate a profound commitment to managing convicted sex offenders and eradicating sexual assault in tribal communities."

Jurisdictions routinely work with the SMART Office to meet the requirements of SORNA. States, territories and tribes continue to work toward SORNA's goals by improving information sharing about sex offenders.

"Our office is committed to providing assistance to all jurisdictions actively working toward implementing these requirements," said Dawn Doran, Acting Director of the SMART Office.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.  OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).  More information about OJP can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

SOURCE Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

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