Sex offender policies and their implementation

¶ … Adam Walsh Act and the Resource Challenges with Implementation in Arkansas

Arkansas' current sex offender management process is in need of revision to bring it into compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, also commonly referred to as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). This must be addressed by July 26, 2010 or the state will have the potential to lose needed funding for both state and local law enforcement agencies, and can be charged with the crime of noncompliance. The federally mandated requirements (19 in all) -- have enormous resource and fiscal costs associated with compliance that, due to economic issues, may not be readily achievable. More manpower and more technology would both be required to meet the SORNA guidelines, and where the money for these things will come from is currently the chief concern.

Importance of Proposed Project

The importance of this project is evident in the need to identify the resources required for Arkansas's sex offender management program to be in compliance with the Adam Walsh Act of 2006. Recommendations must also be made to address resource challenges so that compliance can be reached.

Theoretical Framework

The conceptual framework will be based on an overview of the concept of regulatory federalism (Gormley, 1996) and its role in Arkansas's implementation of previous sex offender laws (Arkansas Sex Offender Manual, 2007), a review of the actions that other states have taken to respond to federal mandates of the Adam Walsh Act, and an identification of the changes associated with resources needed. This will provide the researcher with the knowledge needed to offer recommendations to address resource challenges with compliance. Without a clear understanding of the specific areas in which Arkansas is lacking and how other states have addressed those areas, bringing the state into compliance would appear to be an impossible task.

Project Research Design

The Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) is responsible for the sex offender management and notification in Arkansas. The variables of the agency to be examined are the current vs. needed allocations as suggested by the Justice Policy Institute (2008) which are: 1) Personnel to register, collect, and update information, 2) Software, including installation, maintenance, and technical support, and 3) Funding for legislative, executive, judicial, and administrative costs associated with reclassification, tracking and retroactivity clauses.

The research design will be a mixed methods study of both qualitative and quantitative information. I have received email notification from the ACIC and the Arkansas State Police confirming that a survey questionnaire or interview can be granted for the purpose of this study. IRB approval will be obtained before any surveys are given to the subjects. The survey will address both yes/no questions for quantitative study and descriptive or opinion questions for qualitative study to look at how those who are grappling with this problem feel about it, whether they see it as a priority, and whether they are confident that the compliance with this Act will make a difference.