Miami Nation FY 14 SORNA Enhancement 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 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.

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has had immense success with creating their sex offender registry with assistance from previous grants. Although previous funding has granted the Tribe the ability to create the registry, there are currently no offenders registered, which has created an obstacle for the Tribe. With SMART FY 14 AWA grant funds, the Tribe will successfully maintain compliance with SORNA requirements, and enhance the existing initiative by building a sustainable and practical program that addresses the issues of underreporting, non-compliance, and absconded offenders. ca/ncf