Nez Perce Tribe Adam Walsh Act Implementation

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) (Pub. L. 109-248, 42 U.S.C. § 16901, et seq) authorizes the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) to administer sex offender management grants. These grants assist state, local and tribal jurisdictions in developing and/or enhancing sex offender registration and notification programs that support substantial implementation of Title I of the AWA, known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). SORNA was enacted to protect the public from convicted sex offenders and offenders against children by establishing a comprehensive national system for the registration of those offenders.

The Nez Perce Tribe has opted to implement a sex offender registration and notification program in compliance with SORNA. In order to implement a SORNA compliant sex offender registration and notification program within their jurisdiction, the Nez Perce Tribe will need to purchase equipment and technology that will support a SORNA compliant sex offender registry as well as develop and implement program policies and legislation that will help identify, register, and track sex offenders in the jurisdiction. The Nez Perce Tribe also plans to use grant funding to enhance criminal justice information sharing at the jurisdictional level as well as between jurisdictions thereby enhancing victim and community safety. This will be done by developing a searchable website accessible to the public, issuing bulletins and hosting meetings in districts where high risk or non-compliance sex offenders reside, work, or attend school, engaging state and tribal representatives in a dialogue and development of a collaborative MOA.

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