The Havasupai Tribe's SORNA Program

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (AWA) (42 U.S.C. § 16909, et seq.; Pub. L. 113-235, 128 Stat. 2130, 2193) 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 goal of the Havasupai Tribe's SORNA Program is to enhance compliance with SORNA, improve the Tribe’s information sharing across the criminal justice system, enhance partnerships with outside agencies and identify duties the Tribe can perform that were previously assigned to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Law Enforcement. The Tribe intends to take on a greater role in SORNA implementation in order to resolve the inconsistent staffing and program operations. ca/ncf