Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma SORNA efforts

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 Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma is working toward four goals as part of its efforts to implement SORNA: (1) to increase the infrastructure of the Kiowa Tribe through continuance of the current registry program and working toward full implementation; (2) to provide accurate information regarding sex offenders and the Tribe's SORNA program to the general public and reaching those living in rural locations through the use of a public service announcement; (3) to develop or participate in community awareness projects to assist in educating the public on issues of child protection, personal safety, sex offender registration requirements, and how to obtain information on sex offenders who may be residing near them; and (4) to continue the efforts of the multi-agency task force to enhance the overall success of other sex offender registration sites in SW Oklahoma. To assist in meeting these goals, the Tribe plans to hire four new employees. ca/ncf