OH- Ohio Becomes First State in the U.S. to Reach Substantial Implementation of Adam Walsh Act

UPDATE 9-28: A reader corrects me, he found a portion of the missing information. See UPDATE Below:

OK folks, whats wrong with "Substantial Compliance" according to the Dep't of Justice? Are you ready, does anyone see the MANDATED warning message on the Ohio Public Registry? What warning am I speaking of? According to the Adam Walsh Act, sec 118:

SEC. 118. PUBLIC ACCESS TO SEX OFFENDER INFORMATION THROUGH THE INTERNET.

(a) In General- Except as provided in this section, each jurisdiction shall make available on the Internet, in a manner that is readily accessible to all jurisdictions and to the public, ....

(e) Correction of Errors- The site shall include instructions on how to seek correction of information that an individual contends is erroneous.

(f) Warning- The site shall include a warning that information on the site should not be used to unlawfully injure, harass, or commit a crime against any individual named in the registry or residing or working at any reported address. The warning shall note that any such action could result in civil or criminal penalties.

Reality is, they do not give a hoot about the safety of registrants or their families! I know it isn't much but vigilantes are out there and are killing registrants (Note: Due to the public registry ALL INMATES can find out who IN PRISON is a sex offender, and even they are now placed at HIGH RISK for attack). Contact your lawmakers and complain to the high heavens.


UPDATE 9-28: Anyone wanting to know something about a registrant would first go to the main page of the registry "eSORN Home" then they would chose the next entry "sex offender search" to find the offender and the information about them. (See pictorial on right)

Thats most logical and likely what any normal person would do. So, where is this Adam Walsh Act "WARNING" message?

WAY DOWN second from the end you'll see "eSORN Terms and Conditions," click on it, a page FULL of legalese, and tucked in the very MIDDLE of that page is the following: "ANYONE WHO USES THIS INFORMATION TO COMMIT A CRIMINAL ACT AGAINST ANOTHER PERSON WILL BE SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION."

How many people searching for information about a registrant, would ever see that?

This HIDDEN WARNING doe snot change my comments above AT ALL, except to say, a WARNING is listed, IF YOU CAN FIND IT!

eAdvocate


9-24-2009 Ohio:

Cordray announces national achievement by Ohio's sex offender registration and notification system

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced yesterday that Ohio has become the first state in the nation to reach substantial implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

"We are committed to working with the remaining states, tribes and localities with their implementation efforts," said Attorney General Holder. Attorney General Cordray said his staff has spent months working with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART), focusing on compliance with SORNA guidelines.

"This marks an important achievement for Ohio's families and children," said Cordray. "Effective tracking and monitoring of sex offenders equips parents with the information they need to keep their children safe. Taking deliberate steps to provide a common foundation for all the registration systems throughout the United States allows our families to make the most effective use of the information those systems provide."

Ohio's Electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification database (eSORN) is maintained by the Ohio Attorney General and the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. The eSORN system is linked to all 88 of Ohio's sheriff's offices and all 32 correctional facility records offices operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The purpose of eSORN is to provide one location for all Ohio law enforcement officials to freely share information on registered sex offenders.

"Ohio's county sheriffs have seen first-hand the benefits of a common approach to sex offender registration," said Buckeye State Sheriffs Association Executive Director Robert Cornwell. "It has taken careful work and dedication to get Ohio's system to where it is today, and the families in each of our counties benefit from having that information available to them in a format that's consistent from one end of the state to the other."

The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police agrees. "Ohioans can enjoy added peace of mind, knowing that our state is leading the way in substantial implementation of the SORNA guidelines," said OACP President and Brooklyn Heights Police Chief Joseph Kocab. "Sex offender registration and notification provide needed information to law enforcement as well as to the public. We're now one step closer to ensuring that the same information will be available to Ohioans within every community and eventually all across the U.S."

Following the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, Ohio's 127th General Assembly passed Amended Substitute Senate Bill 10 in June 2007 in an effort to bring Ohio's sex offender notification laws into conformity with SORNA. Changes implemented in Ohio at that time included reclassification of Ohio sex offenders into an offense-based tier system. ..Source.. by Anita Wolfe