Information Sharing And Its Effect On Tracking Sex Offenders And Community Awareness - U.s. Department Of Justice - 2014 Page 4
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27The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) asserts in their February 2013
report on the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA): “the practice of requiring
criminal offenders to register certain identifying information with law enforcement agencies
1
began in the 1930s in response to the increased mobility of criminals upon their release.”
Almost 85 years later, this practice continues, and for some groups of offenders, specifically sex
offenders, this practice has expanded to include more nuanced and personal information that is
available via registration and community notification systems. The purpose of this solicitation is
to assess how information is shared through sex offender registration and community
notification systems, how the process of information sharing has evolved since the passage of
SORNA (either due to sex offender legislation or public perception), and the cost of SORNA
systems to jurisdictions.
Sex offender registration and notification programs in the United States have proliferated since
the early 1990s. Due in part to sex offender legislation such as the Jacob Wetterling Crimes
2
Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act,
States and other jurisdictions
were required to form registries of convicted sex offenders and to develop rigorous registration
requirements for these offenders. In general these programs are designed for law enforcement
to register sex offenders in order to monitor their movements as they are released into the
community, and to provide information that may assist in investigating crimes and apprehending
perpetrators. Another important feature of these programs is community notification, which
makes information about released sex offenders available to the public for the purposes of self-
protection and awareness.
SORNA was passed in order to improve the effectiveness of registration and notification
programs. SORNA sets minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification policies
3
and programs in States, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and certain tribal jurisdictions.
SORNA aims to:
•
Create consistency in registration and notification programs across the United States.
•
Improve information sharing about registered sex offenders among jurisdictions so that
offenders are easily and better tracked as they travel and relocate.
•
Provide a tool for law enforcement investigation of incidents of sexual violence and
apprehension of sex offenders.
•
Increase public awareness about sex offenders to improve public safety.
The SMART Office is responsible for ensuring that jurisdictions substantially implement
SORNA’s requirements. SMART also provides jurisdictions with guidance and technical
assistance in the implementation of SORNA. Currently, 17 States, 3 U.S. Territories, and 63
Indian tribes have substantially implemented SORNA’s requirements.
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To access the full GAO Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act – Jurisdictions face challenges to
implementing the Act, and stakeholders report positive and negative effects, see
2
To access the full text of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, see
3
For specific information on SORNA and the goals of the legislation, see
NIJ-2014-3831
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