SMART 2013 Support for Adam Walsh Grant

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 Virgin Islands Department of Justice has substantially implemented the provisions of SORNA. To maintain SORNA compliance, the Virgin Islands plan to use SMART FY 13 AWA grant funds to maintain its current staff levels and to continue to implement SORNA policies and procedures. They also plan to (1) memorialize the necessary Memoranda of Agreement in order to enhance the multi-agency collaborative efforts as well as the sharing of information which have already been achieved since the enactment of the 2012 revisions to the local sex offender statute ; (2) create a geographical mapping system for all sex offenders who reside, work or attend school in the Territory; and (3) conduct a public awareness campaign to educate the Virgin Islands Community about sex offenders and the registration requirements under SORNA and our local statute. ca/ncf