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Jurisdictions that have substantially implemented SORNA

57 jurisdictions (16 states, 38 tribes and three territories) have substantially implemented SORNA’s requirements.

Substantial Implementation Reports for each of these jurisdictions are available here.

SMART Watch Spring Issue

The Spring 2012 issue of SMART Watch highlights SORNA implementation, the reallocation of penalized Byrne JAG funds, International Tracking of Sex Offenders, the office’s Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative, and provides updates on funding availability, technology, and information for Indian Country.

Reallocation of Byrne JAG Funding

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) established a penalty for jurisdictions that failed to substantially implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) by July 27, 2011, and for any year thereafter. Thirty-nine eligible jurisdictions did not meet the deadline. The AWA further provided that the funding penalty amounts shall be reallocated to jurisdictions that have not failed to substantially implement this title or may be reallocated to a jurisdiction from which they were withheld to be used solely for the purpose of implementing SORNA.

The following jurisdictions have been approved for reallocation of the funding penalty to work solely towards furthering SORNA implementation activities and efforts: Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsy lvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, US Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Procedure for Delegation of Tribal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Responsibilities

This document describes the procedure that will be used when the SMART Office determines that a tribe is unable to implement SORNA within a reasonable amount of time.

SORNA Implementation Documents

The SMART Office has released two additional SORNA Implementation Documents on the topics of Community Notification for Juveniles Adjudicated Delinquent of a Sex Offense and Information Required for Notice of International Travel.

Revised Model Tribal Sex Offender Registration Code

The SMART Office recently updated the SORNA Model Tribal Code to reflect the changes in federal law that came about with the passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act.

International Tracking of Sex Offenders

When the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) was enacted and its Final Guidelines were published, the U.S. Department of Justice was tasked with creating a tracking system for sex offenders who depart and reenter the United States. To that end, the SMART Office created the International Tracking of Sex Offenders Working Group in 2008, which has been working to enable appropriate information sharing about sex offenders who either intend to travel or are travelling internationally. This proposed system is outlined in a white paper made available to Congress in December 2010.

Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification

On January 11, 2011, the Department of Justice released supplemental guidelines for SORNA. The SORNA Supplemental Guidelines address, among other things, public notification of juveniles adjudicated delinquent for serious sex crimes, the posting of sex offender information, such as email addresses and other Internet identifiers, and reporting of international travel requirements. Other issues addressed in the Supplemental Guidelines include on-going review of SORNA implementation, the sharing of information across jurisdictions, and the application of SORNA to newly federally-recognized Indian tribes. The final Supplemental Guidelines can be found here.

SORNA Retroactive Rule Finalized

The Department of Justice finalized an interim rule specifying that the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, title I of Public Law 109-248, apply to all sex offenders, including sex offenders convicted of the offense for which registration is required before the enactment of that Act. The final rule can be found here.