{"id":352164,"date":"2023-12-05T11:43:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/the-sex-offender-registration-and-notification-act.html"},"modified":"2023-12-05T11:43:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:43:25","slug":"the-sex-offender-registration-and-notification-act","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/the-sex-offender-registration-and-notification-act.html","title":{"rendered":"The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Joseph Fawbush, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), is part of a federal law that requires states to maintain a system for monitoring and tracking convicted sex offenders. The Act makes it a federal crime to knowingly fail to comply with state registration requirements following release from prison.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

SORNA applies to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as to Native American tribes and nations and several U.S. territories. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) monitors each jurisdiction’s compliance with SORNA. It issues regular\u00a0reports on implementation of the law in each state<\/a>. According to the DOJ, only 18 states and 4 U.S. territories are in substantial compliance with the law at this time.<\/p>\n

This article provides background on efforts to improve public safety through SORNA. It describes its key provisions. It also discuss crimes associated with federal and state laws related to sex offender registration.<\/p>\n

If you have concerns about sex offender registration, you can also talk to a sex crime attorney<\/a> in your area for legal advice specific to your situtation.<\/p>\n

Background Behind SORNA<\/h2>\n

In 2006, Congress passed The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). It is Title I of the\u00a0Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act<\/a>. The law was enacted 25 years after the murder of Adam Walsh, a six-year-old boy abducted from a shopping mall in Florida and later murdered.<\/p>\n

Although no one was ever tried for the crime, Florida police closed that case in 2008. They concluded that a convicted serial killer who had died in 1996 while imprisoned for other murders was the likely killer.<\/p>\n

Previously, after the child murders of Jacob Wetterling in Minnesota and Megan Kanka in New Jersey, Congress passed laws directing each state to establish a sex offender registry and to provide\u00a0community notification<\/a>\u00a0to the public. By 2005, federal law created the\u00a0National Sex Offender Public Website<\/a>\u00a0for public use.<\/p>\n

Child safety advocates sought consistency in the registration of sex offenders and punishment for non-compliance with registration laws. The ongoing goal included providing local law enforcement and the public with quick access to accurate data on registered sex offenders living in their jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

How SORNA Works<\/h2>\n

Each state defines crimes labeled sex offenses,\u00a0as well as what the appropriate punishment is for each crime. SORNA categorizes those offenses into three\u00a0tiers\u00a0according to the length of prison term for the offense,\u00a0aggravating circumstances<\/a>, the age of the victim, and other factors.<\/p>\n

Most crimes under state laws for sexual assault will fall under Tier II or Tier III. Each tier imposes certain reporting requirements on the offenders. Below is an outline of what offenses fall into each tier along with the reporting requirements for the tier.<\/p>\n

Tier III Offenses<\/h3>\n

This is the most serious of the three tiers under SORNA. A Tier III crime is one that is punishable by at least one year in prison and at least one of the following:<\/p>\n