Indiana Comprehensive Sex Offender Management Initiative, Phase IV

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) (Pub. L. 109-248, 42 U.S.C. § 16901, et seq) authorizes the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) to administer sex offender management grants. These grants assist state, local and tribal jurisdictions in implementing and/or enhancing sex offender registration and notification programs that support compliance with Title I of the AWA, known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). SORNA 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.

The State of Indiana, with the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) will make improvements identified in Phase IV of the Indiana Comprehensive Sex Offender Management Initiative by supporting six contractual positions devoted to assisting Indiana with SORNA compliance and failure to register efforts. Four positions will be devoted to assisting the state with converting current Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry data to SORNA compliance standards. Staff will identify records to be researched and then will make requests to appropriate jurisdictions for assistance. Once information is received, staff will verify, code, and appropriately update records where applicable. Two positions will be used to help reduce Indiana's failure to register backlog. As of March 2009, there are over 1,600 failed to register sex offenders in the State of Indiana. Staff will identify failure to register offenders, initiate investigations, request assistance from state and federal jurisdictions, and assist with arresting efforts. Finally State of Indiana will further develop the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry data system to allow automatic electronic submissions of failure to register information to appropriate investigative jurisdictions.

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