Sex offender registration project for Arizona

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 an effort to resolve challenges created by current statutes and practices and to substantially implement SORNA, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZ DPS) will use grant funds to implement a uniform statewide software solution for the state sex offender registry. The AZ DPS will be the state level administrator of the Electronic Sex Offender Registration Package (ESORP) and will have control over required data elements, drop down box values like risk levels and offender status, and a host of state specific parameters that effectively tailor ESORP to Arizona statutes, norms, and preferences. Lastly, AZ DPS will roll-out the ESORP and provide training, best practice discussion, and user set up at the state and local levels.

ca/ncf