CRST Tribal SORNA 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.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) has begun the initial process of implementing SORNA. Not much has unfolded because the plans were unfunded and understaffed. These grant funds will allow the Tribe to begin a new strategy to implement the provisions under SORNA. The strategy steps are: (1) fully staff the CRST Tribal SORNA Office with three dedicated positions: a SORNA Coordinator, a SORNA Compliance Officer, and a data entry specialist and provide training to staff members; (2) utilize the TTSORS for on-line registry database for public notification; (3) properly equip the CRST Tribal SORNA Office with all requisite technological capacity to operate and maintain a fully functioning registry capable of information sharing with the National Crime Information Center/National Sex Offender Registry (NCIC/NSOR), other jurisdictions, and the public; (4) acquire the equipment needed to allow for submission of finger and palm prints to the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) and the FBI, as well as equipment and supplies to allow for DNA samples to be submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS); (5) digitize all prior paper records of sex offender registrants to provide a permanent electronic record; (6) institute a collaborative Tribal SORNA Workgroup that meets regularly as a means to build upon strengths and minimize project weaknesses through the implementation of strategy modifications, if necessary; and (7) provide training to relevant tribal staff members on SORNA requirements.

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