The NASOM Project was created through the SMART Office’s work in Indian Country assisting tribes with SORNA implementation. Many tribal jurisdictions had developed or were in the process of developing their own sex offender registries with the assistance of the SMART Office when they began to inquire about best practices in sex offender re-entry and what works in tribal communities.
In response, the SMART Office brought together tribal stakeholders and sex offender treatment experts to talk about these issues in a national forum. Through these initial discussions and a review of the research, it was clear that not only is sex offender re-entry a significantly under-researched topic, there are very few opportunities for persons who have sexually offended to return to their communities and participate in sexual offender specific treatment and to receive reintegration services. This was in large part due to the lack of availability and access.
These issues were compounded in Indian County with limited trained practitioners and virtually no re-entry services to address the needs of this population. The NASOM Project grew out of this need and is working with four geographically and culturally diverse tribes as they develop their own re-entry programs utilizing available resources.
Participants
The NASOM Project’s case study tribes:
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (Oklahoma)
Menominee Nation (Wisconsin)
Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota)
Pueblo of Isleta (New Mexico)
Objectives
The NASOM Project consists of the following:
- An inventory of existing sex offender management and treatment programs for Native Americans.
- A comprehensive literature review regarding Native American sex offenders.
- A national forum of tribal stakeholders to make recommendations for future funding, policy, and practice initiatives.
- A series of case studies on tribal sex offender management, treatment, and re-entry program implementation.
Overview
More about the NASOM Project can be found in the presentation Emerging Sex Offender Re-entry Issues in Indian Country: Overview of the NASOM Project.