Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program: Pennsylvania's proposal to Enhance Sustainment and On-Going Compliance

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.

With SMART FY 14 AWA grant funds, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will develop an education, awareness, and prevention campaign that focuses on educating the public about sex crimes and how they can protect themselves and their families. The campaign will include three main segments: (1) develop three statewide training programs to be conducted in the first year and follow-up training in the second year to address issues that have come up and train new staff; (2) create a public awareness campaign targeted at victims, which will include a video, a victim advocate message, brochures, and other pertinent documents; and (3) develop a prevention initiative to educate the community about challenging the myths of sex offenders and related issues. ca/ncf