NCJ Number
239350
Date Published
2011
Length
128 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the provisions of current State laws on juvenile sex offender registration and notification.
Abstract
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2006. The section that has received the most attention is Title I, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which directs the 50 States, the District of Columbia, certain federally recognized Native American Tribes, and the primary U.S. Territories to include children in their sex offender registration and notification systems. Jurisdictions that fail to enact the SORNA Guidelines by the deadline, July 27, 2011, risk losing 10 percent of their Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Federal funding. In an attempt to meet SORNA provisions by the deadline, many State legislatures have rushed to pass some version of the SORNA Guidelines. One section of this report, "A Guide to SORNA," contains a glossary of terminology, an annotated interpretation of "Offenses Requiring Registration," and a chart that details the main components of juvenile sex offender registration and notification in the seven States which the U.S. Justice Department deems to have complied with SORNA. Another section lists the individual State registration and notification requirements applied to children, organized by category. In addition, a section presents a comprehensive chart that highlights, compares, and contrasts the main provisions of registration and notification laws applied to children and adolescents. The next section provides separate fact sheets that summarize the SORNA law applied to children in each of the 50 States, Guam, and the District of Columbia. The final section contains a Directory of the State Sex Offender Registration Administrations," who are the officials designated to oversee the sex offender registration and notification systems in each jurisdiction. 43 notes