The 2008 National Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability was held July 30-Aug. 1 in Baltimore, Maryland. Approximately 900 people attended the two and a half day conference. The Opening Ceremony included an honor song performed by Dennis W. Zotigh, Community Events Coordinator at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and Kiowa, Ohkay Oweengeh Pueblo and Santee Dakota Indian.
The opening day's sessions included a review of The National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, an introduction to the Sex Offender Registry Web-Based Software now available to jurisdictions, a luncheon presentation by Derek VanLuchene on the impact his brother's abduction and murder as a child had on his family, and presentations on interagency collaboration and technology tools for sex offender management.
The second day consisted of 16 break-out sessions with 4 tracks: Policy, Enforcement, Emerging Issues, and Indian Country. This day permitted attendees to choose various topics specific to their areas of work and/or interest. These sessions ranged from an overview of the sex offender registry template for tribes, being developed by the SMART Office in conjunction with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, to a presentation on how two states have overcome various roadblocks to coming into compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
On the final half day, Dr. John Hunter, Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, provided a research review on the treatment of juvenile sex offenders, and Joe Sullivan, of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in London, England, spoke on "Inside the Minds of Child Molesters," utilizing video-taped interviews of sex offenders. The Closing Ceremony included remarks by Ed Smart, President of the Surviving Parents Coalition.