SORNA Tools

The SMART Office has developed a variety of tools to help jurisdictions substantially implement Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Included in this section are —

Request for Reallocation of Byrne/JAG Grant Funds
Topics in SORNA Implementation
National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification
SORNA Supplemental Guidelines
SORNA Substantial Implementation Checklist
SORNA Exchange Portal
SORT
TTSORS
Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
Submitting Materials to the SMART Office
DNA Submission by SORNA Tribal Jurisdictions
Other SORNA Resources

Request for Reallocation of Byrne/JAG Grant Funds

If a jurisdiction has not substantially implemented SORNA by July 27, 2017, as determined by the SMART Office, the jurisdiction's fiscal year 2018 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant will be reduced by 10 percent. Jurisdictions can apply to have their funds reinstated for the sole purpose of implementing SORNA. Reallocation requests must be submitted in writing to the SMART Office, following this guidance

Topics in SORNA Implementation

The SMART Office has developed a series of documents related to Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). These documents provide further definition, guidance, and direction on a number of topics to assist jurisdictions with the implementation of SORNA. Jurisdictions should use these documents, along with the statute (P.L. 109-248) and any guidelines and regulations issued by the Attorney General, when developing legislation and policies to substantially implement SORNA.

SORNA implementation documents address the following topics:

National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification

SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. These National Guidelines were issued to provide guidance and assistance to covered jurisdictions—the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and Indian tribal governments—in implementing the SORNA standards in their registration and notification programs.

Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification

The SORNA Supplemental Guidelines address public notification of juveniles adjudicated delinquent for serious sex crimes, the posting of sex offender information, such as email addresses and other Internet identifiers, and reporting of international travel requirements. Other issues addressed include on-going review of SORNA implementation, the sharing of information across jurisdictions, and the application of SORNA to newly federally-recognized Indian tribes.

SORNA Substantial Implementation Checklist

This checklist (PDF) | (WORD) is designed as a tool to assist registration jurisdictions as they seek to substantially implement SORNA. It is not a definitive guide to SORNA’s full implementation requirements. Jurisdictions are advised to consult with the SMART Office throughout their implementation process to ensure that their laws, policies, procedures, and practices conform with the entirety of what SORNA requires.

SORNA Exchange Portal

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requires jurisdictions to share information about sex offenders that are relocating between jurisdictions or required to register in more than one jurisdiction. The SORNA Exchange Portal was developed by the U.S. Department of Justice to meet this objective and it has been expanded to provide sex offender registration personnel an Internet-based community in which to share information. Each registration jurisdiction has access to its own individual site and information can be exchanged through a variety of means, including discussion boards, document and file sharing, event calendars, historical statutes databases, and offender relocation tasks. To access the portal, you must have username and password. To receive this information, e-mail a request to AWA-Request@iir.com. Once you receive your user name and password, you may log on to the portal at https://portal.nsopw.gov. See the SORNA Exchange Portal Fact Sheet for more information.

SORT

The Sex Offender Registry Tool (SORT) is a sex offender management application provided by the SMART Office at no cost to assist states in implementing the SORNA registry system requirements of the Adam Walsh Act. SORT makes the registry setup and maintenance process as efficient and effective as possible. SORT serves a dual purpose: it provides local registration agencies with their own specialized public sex offender registry websites and it functions as the state-level administrative registry system. See the SORT Fact Sheet for more information.

TTSORS

The Tribe and Territory Sex Offender Registry System (TTSORS) is a fully functioning system that complies with SORNA requirements. TTSORS was created to assist the 197 Indian tribes that have elected to implement SORNA and the 5 principal U.S. territories by effectively removing the technical difficulties of implementing SORNA requirements. It includes a customizable public website and a private administrative website for managing sex offender information. Most of Indian Country and the U.S. territories already have the resources they need to use TTSORS—a single computer with Internet access.

Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) provides the public with free, immediate access to all jurisdictions’ sex offender registries—all with one query from a single website. NSOPW is the only government system to link public state, territory, and tribal sex offender registries from a national search site. Recently, NSOPW was enhanced by the addition of a sexual abuse education and prevention section. The information contained in this new section assists the public in learning the facts about sexual abuse and ways of protecting themselves and loved ones from potential victimization. See the NSOPW Fact Sheet for more information.

Submitting Substantial Implementation Materials to the SMART Office

Guidance for States, DC, U.S. Territories, and SORNA Indian Tribes on submitting substantial implementation materials to the SMART Office for review.

DNA Submission by SORNA Tribal Jurisdictions

SORNA requires jurisdictions to take DNA samples from sex offenders for purposes of analysis and entry into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System. This includes tribal jurisdictions. This Fact Sheet provides information to tribal jurisdictions on how to submit DNA samples.