Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2012, $267,788)
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 Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians has the second highest number of convicted sex offenders living within the Turtle Mountain Reservation. The Tribe is continuing to work towards implementing SORNA but is faced with family stigma when it comes to exposing and reporting offenders, especially members of one's family, and a lack of confidence that the authorities will take allegations of assault seriously. In an effort to implement strategies to support and ensure compliance with delivering required data, the tribe plans to: (1) implement or enhance all baseline requirements of SORNA by continuing implementation of sex offender registry to ensure compliance of SORNA; (2) provide community education through culturally appropriate, community-based educational forums; (3) ensure victim rights and community safety through improvements in the notification system for victims and community members prior to a sex offender relocating to the community: (4) complete and codify tribal court laws that address sex offenses; (5) engage pending MOA negotiation with North Dakota Attorney General; (6) ensure student safety by designing a school-based policy manual for all reservation-based schools defining guidelines that are within state, federal, and tribal law; (7) maintain collaboration and further develop working relationships with law enforcements entities to develop in-depth search capacity to identify and monitor sex offenders residing, working, visiting, or moving through the area; (8) set up a regulatory process for collaboration with regulations governing PL280 Tribes; (9) fully develop data management necessary for digitized sex offender registration/case files/information and make all accessible for SORNA jurisdiction sex offender registries; and (10) maintain staffing at current level.
ca/ncf