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Registering and Tracking Sex Offenders: Concepts and Issues Paper

NCJ Number
250409
Date Published
April 2008
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This "Concepts and Issues Paper" by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), which is intended to accompany the IACP's "Model Policy on Registering and Tracking Sex Offenders," provides essential background material and supporting documentation underlying the developmental philosophy and implementation requirements of the model policy.
Abstract
The IACP considers this material to be of value to law enforcement executives in tailoring the model policy to the requirements and circumstances of their communities and their law enforcement agencies. A brief background review notes that law enforcement's sex offender oversight responsibilities have increased in the past two decades as a result of Federal and State legislation. Of particular concern to law enforcement officials are those sex offenders no longer under correctional or community supervision but who are still subject to registration and monitoring oversight. State and Federal legislation that defines the responsibilities of law enforcement agencies in the registration, community notification, and tracking of sex offenders is briefly reviewed. A major section of this paper discusses the provisions of the Federal 2006 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). Provisions of this legislation discussed are the three-tier system for determining the frequency of sex offender registration and verification and the decision about which entities need notification when sex offenders move into the community; the content of registration information; the National Sex Offender Public Web Site; non-compliance; and juvenile sex offenders. Other major sections of this paper address community notification, community education about the registration of sex offenders, verification and investigations, risk assessments, electronic monitoring technology and its use with sex offenders, officer education and training on the management and monitoring of sex offenders, and multi-agency partnerships and information-sharing. An annotated bibliography of IACP resources on issues discussed