DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUCES $11.8 MILLION TO HELP STATES AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS COMPLY WITH ADAM WALSH ACT

        WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice today announced more than $11.8 million in grants and assistance to state, local, and tribal governments to assist with developing or enhancing programs designed to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. These awards are made through the Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program.

        “Protecting our most vulnerable citizens from dangerous predators is an intrinsic duty,” said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. “These grants will provide states, units of local government, and tribal communities with the resources they need to protect communities and fully implement the Adam Walsh Act.”

        The grants are administered by the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). Funding will be used to develop or enhance sex offender registration programs; improve law enforcement and other justice agency information sharing as it relates to sex offender registration and notification; develop or enhance local absconder apprehension efforts; collect, store, and analyze sex offender biometric and DNA data for investigative purposes; and implement other efforts aimed at furthering the objectives of SORNA.

        The Adam Walsh Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006 and is designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from sexual exploitation and violent crime. The Act also aims to prevent child abuse and child pornography, promote Internet safety, and honor the memory of Adam Walsh and other crime victims. SORNA, Title I of the Adam Walsh Act, was enacted to protect the public from convicted sex offenders and offenders against children by establishing a comprehensive national system for the registration of those offenders.

        To further the Justice Department’s efforts to assist state, local and tribal governments with the implementation of SORNA, the SMART Office will host its annual Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability on July 30—August 1, 2008 in Baltimore. The 2008 Symposium will address a wide variety of topics relating to Sex Offender management and the implementation of the Adam Walsh Act. In addition, the Symposium will include specialized tracks focusing on policy, enforcement, emerging issues and Indian country issues.

        The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking Office (SMART). More information can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

Grant Recipients

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