Message From
the Assistant
Attorney General
On May 17, 2007, Attorney General Gonzales announced the proposed National Guidelines for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) as required by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. He also announced $25 million in assistance for communities to implement SORNA. Both the guidelines and the funding are being administered by a new Office of Justice Programs (OJP) component, the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) Office. The SMART Office was authorized by the Adam Walsh Act and is led by Laura Rogers.
These new registry standards will allow citizens to search online for sex offenders who live, work, or attend school in their jurisdiction. The new standards ensure that local law enforcement agencies can monitor sex offenders by requiring them to register when they move into, become employed in, or attend school in the communities that these agencies protect.
We at OJP are proud to partner with States, territories, the District of Columbia, Indian tribes, and local communities as they continue to develop and strengthen their sex offender registration and notification programs. For more information about the proposed guidelines and sex offender registries, please visit the SMART Office Web page.
Regina B. Schofield
Assistant Attorney General
Office of Justice Programs
DOJ Observes Missing Children's Day 2007
n May 18, 2007, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales presented 11 awards to law enforcement officers, missing children's advocates, and citizens for their efforts to recover missing children. The awards were part of the annual National Missing Children's Day Ceremony organized and hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice. William W. Mercer, Acting Associate Attorney General, also participated in the event, delivering remarks and assisting in the presentation of awards. 
 |
NCVC launches new legal database: VictimLaw.Info. VictimLaw, developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime with funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, is a new online database that houses more than 15,000 victims' rights statutes (Federal and State), tribal laws, constitutional amendments, court rules, and administrative code provisions. The database is searchable by topic, keyword, jurisdiction, and citation. |
|
Training opportunities for victim service providers. Office for Victims of Crime is offering a series of training workshops (beginning in September 2007) to enhance the capacity of service providers to serve crime victims and increase their professional skills. |
|
Web Forum is a valuable online tool. The Office for Victims of Crime's HELP for Victim Service Providers Web Forum is an online tool that allows participants to tap into a national network of people with various backgrounds who may face similar challenges and experiences. |
This is an archive page that is no longer being updated. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as originally intended.