SMART FY 2010 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Project

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 developing and/or enhancing sex offender registration and notification programs that support substantial implementation of 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.

In order to successfully obtain substantial implementation of the Sex Offender and Registration Notification Act, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Judiciary will promote public safety and prevent future victimization by registering sexual offenders residing, working, or attending institutes of higher learning in Massachusetts, identify, collect and report factual information leading to accurate classification of those sex offenders, and disseminate information to the police and public about those offenders deemed to present sufficient risk to the public. In order to accomplish this, funding is needed to hire a full-time Sexual Offender Compliance Specialist, as well as purchase finger/palm print equipment and digital photo and scanning equipment. The judiciary will also need to finalize sexual offender policies and procedures, develop training for personnel responsible for sex offender registration and compliance, and register for free Tribes and Territory Sex Offender Registry System.

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