FY14 SMART Adam Walsh Act Implementation 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 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. principal territories 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.

Improving New Jersey's public sex offender registry system to be compliant with SORNA requirements, the Department of Law Public Safety seeks to use SMART FY 14 AWA grant funds to enhance efforts to address victim and public safety. The Department plans to implement the use of an Electronic Signature Pad (ESP) system to increase functionality by capturing and storing electronic signatures on registration forms. In addition, the Department will enhance infrastructure by upgrading to a Virtual Desktop Initiative (VDI), which is a server controlled IT system where each user's device connects to a centralized server for software, access to programs, computing power, and storage space. This will provide a secure and stable environment where multiple users from various units can access the SORNA compliant OffenderWatch® System during daily tasks. ca/ncf