Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program

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 Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs of Oregon has substantially implemented the provisions of SORNA. The Tribe now plans to continue their current program by (1) identifying sex offenders living on the reservation; (2) physically verifying registration addresses; (3) identifying sex offenders visiting the reservation for more than three days; (4) educating tribal judges, probation officers, corrections officers and police officers about their responsibilities under SORNA; and (5) educating teachers, counseling and health officers and victims of crime about the registration site and how to recognize signs of abuse. The Tribe is also working to improve the sex offender registry system by (1) using computer systems to locate offenders convicted before passage of the Adam Walsh Act; (2) implementing education programs about the registration program and how to access the registry site; and (3) surveying residents about safety concerns on the reservation. The SMART FY 13 AWA grant funds will be used in part to maintain the Sex Offender Administrator as a full-time position. ca/ncf