Mapping State Journeys toward SORNA Implementation

• In Event: Current Trends in Sex Offender Community Management

Abstract

Policies governing the community oversight and management of individuals convicted of sexual offenses in the United States have rapidly expanded over recent decades. One key landmark in this development was the 2006 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which set forth nationwide standards for the structure and operation of the nation’s disparate systems of sex offender registration. This presentation chronicles states’ journeys toward SORNA implementation, based on a series of in-depth case studies undertaken as part of a nationwide, NIJ-funded study of state-based registration systems. The study results underscore the wide diversity of state experiences with SORNA implementation, and offer insights into the organizational, political, and logistical factors that have both promoted and impeded the path toward implementation. Implications and recommendations for registration policy reform at both the federal and state levels will be discussed.

Authors

• Andrew Harris, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Kim Kras, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky, Fox Valley Technical College

• Qurat Ann, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Kyleigh Clark-Moorman, University of Massachusetts, Lowell