The SMART Office: Open for Business

• NCJ Number: 250520
• Author(s): Laura L Rogers
• Date Published: July 2007
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART)
• Sale Source: Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART)
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Program/Project Description; Legislation/Policy Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report reviews the mission and activities of the U.S. Justice Department's Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehension, Registration, and Tracking (SMART) Office, which is responsible for all matters related to the implementation of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2008 (AWA).

Abstract

Title 1 of the AWA comprehensively revised the national standards for sex offender registration and notification. Section 146 of the AWA mandated the creation of the SMART Office, whose mission statement is "to assure that convicted sex offenders are prohibited from preying on citizens through a system of appropriate restrictions, regulations, and internment." Under this mission statement, the SMART Office is responsible for all matters related to the implementation of the AWA, including administering the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), administering grant programs relating to sex offender registration and notification, as well as other grant programs authorized by the AWA. The SMART Office provides technical assistance to States and other public and private entities regarding sex offender registration and notification and other measures for the protection of the public from sexual abuse or exploitation. The SMART Office officially opened for business in December 2006. This report includes a review of the short history of sex offender registration and related legislative mandates. A major responsibility of the SMART Office is to provide guidance and technical assistance to States, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories in meeting the minimum standards for sex offender registration established by SORNA.