OK- Add Juveniles to Sex Offender Lists or Lose Grants

8-3-2009 Oklahoma:

The state could see a 10 percent decrease in their grant if they don't start adding juveniles to the sex offender lists.

States DO NOT have to add juveniles, the Adam Walsh Act requires adding ONLY those who are 14 and up and have committed violent crimes as defined in federal law. See:

A careful review of the following sections of the Adam Walsh Act will show that, NOT ALL JUVENILES are to be added to the sex offender registry. So, if a juvenile is 13 years old or younger, -AND- does not meet the following criteria, they will not be added to the registry.

SEC. 111. RELEVANT DEFINITIONS, INCLUDING AMIE ZYLA EXPANSION OF SEX OFFENDER DEFINITION AND EXPANDED INCLUSION OF CHILD PREDATORS.

In this title the following definitions apply:

(1) SEX OFFENDER- The term `sex offender' means an individual who was convicted of a sex offense.

(8) CONVICTED AS INCLUDING CERTAIN JUVENILE ADJUDICATIONS- The term `convicted' or a variant thereof, used with respect to a sex offense, includes adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile for that offense, but only if the offender is 14 years of age or older at the time of the offense and the offense adjudicated was comparable to or more severe than aggravated sexual abuse (as described in section 2241 of title 18, United States Code), or was an attempt or conspiracy to commit such an offense.

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Congress passed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act in 2006. The Byrne Justice Assitance Grant funding helps with law enforcement programs.

The legislature is looking at an interim study proposal, which includes concerns on public safety.

The executive director at the Office of Juvenile Affairs said that complying with the act may not even be worth it, because the state would be losing even more money with costly programs added to the system.

"Complying with the Walsh Act may cost more than the grants that's going to be saved," said Gene Christian, Executive Director at the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

The state currently does not have any registered juvenile sex offenders. The Office of Juvenile Affairs sees an average of 90 teens committing sex crimes each year.

The state has until the summer of 2010 to come into compliance with the act. ..Source.. by KSBI News