Deadline passes for tribes to implement sex offender registries

Thursday, July 28, 2011  

Nine tribes have "substantially" implemented the sex offender registration system, the Department of Justice said today, but the total could rise as more submissions were received before the July 27 deadline.

Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act requires tribes, states and territories to develop registries. Tribes that decline to do so will automatically cede authority to the state.

So far, DOJ has determined that the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, the Yakama Nation of Washington, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians of Michigan, the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico, the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona and the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe of Washington have "substantially" implemented their systems.

"Due to the number of recent submissions, we do not yet have a complete count of how many jurisdictions were able to implement [systems] by the deadline," Linda Baldwin, the director of the SMART Office at DOJ, said in a press release. "We are reviewing submissions as quickly as possible and will announce decisions about additional jurisdictions in the coming months as the reviews are completed."

Only 14 states and one territory met the deadline. Those that failed to implement their systems could see a 10 percent reduction in funds awarded through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program.

Tribes in Public Law 280 states weren't allowed to join the system.

Get the Story:
Press Release: Justice Department Finds 24 Jurisdictions Have Substantially Implemented SORNA Requirements (DOJ 7/28)