Enhanced Sex Offender Registration 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.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice is working to improve their public sex offender registry system, enhance efforts to protect victim and public safety and develop SORNA implementation training. Major costs associated with the State's proposal to fulfill these goals include, hiring a Program Specialist and paying for SORNA related training for parole officers. The Program Specialist will assists with obtaining court documents and ensure registration is being applied correctly and that the information being provided to the Department of Public Safety is based on verifiable documentation and not solely on offender self-reporting. In addition, the Program Specialist will work with TDCJ's Information Technology Division to develop enhancements to the agency's current offender information management system. Input from field parole officers and testing will ensure the functionality meets the needs of the sex offender registration process. ca/ncf