The massachusetts DPS is seeking to build on prior projects to further implement sorna

This $100,000 Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs' Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office will support the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety in enhancing its sex offender registry and victim notification system. Specifically, the grant will fund the development of a Victim Referral and Communication Portal that will modernize the Department's outdated manual victim enrollment, verification, and notification processes. The portal will allow victims, advocates, and referral agencies to electronically submit referrals, impact statements, and receive important notifications, while also providing secure storage for victim information. This project aims to improve the Department's ability to track and monitor registered sex offenders in compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) under the Adam Walsh Act. The grant award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

Requested AWA funding will support a SEX offender registry boards (SORB) victim referral and communication portal, which will enhance SORB's outdated manual victim enrollment, verification and notification system, and give victims, advocates and referral agencies a secure environment to electronically submit referrals, impact statements, receive important notifications, and provide the ability to store information within their account. The portal will be designed to interact with SORB's existing offender and victim databases.