Justice Department Announces Fifth Jurisdiction to Implement Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

WASHINGTON, May 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice today announced that the State of Florida has substantially implemented the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.  Florida joins the States of Ohio and Delaware, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation as jurisdictions that have substantially implemented SORNA.

"We are pleased to announce that the State of Florida has substantially implemented this important legislation," said Linda Baldwin, Director of the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). "We are committed to working with the remaining states, tribes and territories with their implementation efforts."

The State of Florida has been actively working with the Office of Justice Programs' (SMART Office) to meet the requirements of SORNA.

The Department of Justice also released for public comment proposed Supplemental Guidelines for SORNA, Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 on Friday.  The proposed 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.  Additional issues include on-going review of SORNA implementation, the sharing of information across jurisdictions, and the application of SORNA to new federally recognized Indian tribes. The open period for public comment will last for 60 days after the announcement in the Federal Register. The proposed Supplemental Guidelines can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart/pdfs/FR_SORNA_051410.pdf.

The SMART Office is holding its National Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability today through Thursday - at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, Ore. The theme of this year's symposium is "Information Sharing," which is a goal of the Adam Walsh Act. The symposium will feature presentations for sex offender registry officials, law enforcement personnel (including probation and parole officers), tribal representatives, prosecutors, and practitioners to help them more effectively monitor, register, track, and manage sex offenders.  Additional information about the SMART Office can be found at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims.  OJP has seven 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; the Community Capacity Development Office, 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.

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SOURCE Office of Justice Programs - U.S. Department of Justice