SMART FY 2024 Maintenance and Operation of the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website

The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) assists jurisdictions with developing and enhancing programs designed to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (34 U.S.C. section 20901, Title I et seq.). The purpose of the Adam Walsh Act is to protect children and adults from sexual exploitation and violent crime, prevent child abuse and child pornography, promote internet safety and honor the memory of Adam Walsh and other crime victims. Since 2008, Congress has specifically appropriated funds for the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov), a critical component of SORNA's scheme to provide a comprehensive national sex offender registration and notification system to notify and protect the public from sex offenders. The purpose of NSOPW.gov is to provide the public with information about registered sex offenders and facilitate information sharing among jurisdictional registry officials. NSOPW.gov provides the public with a single U.S. government website that links the states, the District of Columbia, territory, and tribal public sex offender registries in one national search site. While NSOPW.gov will now be maintained by the Office of Justice Programs; this supplemental award will provide funding to continue assisting jurisdictions in making their sex offender data available in response to searches conducted on NSOPW.gov, along with related technology tools to assist jurisdictions with registering and tracking sex offenders, sharing information about registered sex offenders with other jurisdictions, and providing community notification and information about registered sex offenders to the public. IIR will use grant funds to provide ongoing support for SORNA jurisdictions to ensure public access to their sex offender data via NSOPW.gov. Participation in NSOPW.gov by SORNA jurisdictions is required by SORNA, and related support includes the development and administration of additional registry tools: the SORNA Exchange Portal, the Tribe and Territory Sex Offender Registry System (TTSORS) and the Sex Offender Registry Tool (SORT). IIR will also continue to support jurisdictions' access to and use of the SORNA Exchange Portal, TTSORS and SORT, as well as a mobile application and a social media presence that promotes education and safety resources. IIR will also continue to provide training and technical assistance to SORNA jurisdictions and the public regarding the use of NSOPW.gov, the SORNA Exchange Portal, TTSORS and SORT. IIR will also continue facilitating connection between the National Sex Offender Registry maintained by the FBI and TTSORS. This connectivity reduces the need for multiple entries by TTSORS users, which reduces personnel hours and the chance of entry errors and has led to increased records submission. IIR has established excellent, culturally appropriate relationships with participating SORNA tribes, providing in depth, essential training and technical assistance. This outreach has contributed and will continue to contribute to tribes' SORNA implementation and participation in NSOPW.gov.