JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SPONSORS SYMPOSIUM ON SEX OFFENDER
MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Mary Lou Leary, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, today opened the 2010 National Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability in Portland, Ore. The theme of the symposium is "Information Sharing."

"The symposium provides an excellent opportunity for the Justice Department to bring together our partners at the national, state, tribal, and local levels so that we can more effectively monitor and manage the sex offenders who live in our communities," said Leary.

More than 600 sex offender registry officials, law enforcement, parole and probation officers, prosecutors and practitioners from across the country who monitor, register, track and manage sex offenders are gathered to focus on issues related to the implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which is Title I of the Adam Walsh Act of 2006. This symposium will also focus on enforcement, policy, emerging issues and comprehensive approaches to sex offender management in states, territories and Indian Country.

The symposium, presented by the Justice Department?s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) brings together numerous partners working on implementation and enforcement of SORNA, such as the U.S. Marshals Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as experts in the area of sex offender management to provide a unique opportunity for the attendees to learn about a range of sex offender management and accountability approaches and activities. 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 bureaus and offices: 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 and its components can be found at https://ojp.gov.