doverpost.com: Feds recognize Delaware's work to go after child predators (and sex offenders).
thegovmonitor.com : Florida Enhances Sex Offender Registration And Notification.
Wilmington- Delaware has become just the second state in the country to achieve compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act. (after Ohio).
The U.S. Department of Justice recently determined that Delaware has substantially implemented the provisions of the sex offender registration and notification provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The Act aligns sex offender registry standards across the states and asks states to place the burden on convicted sex offenders.
Under current federal rules, states that fail to substantially implement these provisions by July 26 stand to lose 10 percent of their annual federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funding.
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Florida is third state to implement the Adam Walsh Act, substantially enforce Sex Offender Registration and Notification procedures.
Governor Charlie Crist and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey today announced that Florida is the third state to implement the Adam Walsh Act. The Act provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.
On May 14, the U.S. Department of Justice recognized Florida as having reached substantial implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The act aligns sex offender registry standards across the states and tightens requirements for offender registration and notification. Under current federal rules, states that fail to substantially implement these provisions by July 26, 2010 stand to lose 10 percent of their annual federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funding. Ohio and Delaware are the only other two states to implement the act to date.
As part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, Florida implemented several changes to the registry requirements including:
* increased the number of times per year that sexual offenders and predators must register in person with their local sheriff’s office;
* Required all registered sexual offenders and predators to register any e-mail or instant message address they may use prior to using it;
* Required juvenile sexual offenders to register if adjudicated of certain crimes committed after July 1, 2007;
* Increased the minimum length of registration for sexual offenders while removing the ability for sexual predators to petition the court for removal from registration requirements; and
* Increased sexual offender/predator notification to the public, including e-mail notifications made available to citizens. To date, more than two million notifications have been sent out.
The registry currently houses data on more than 54,000 registered sex offenders and predators.
