Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2023, $54,220)
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center (HCJDC) is responsible for the Sex Offender Registry and maintains a central registry of sex offenders and other covered offenders for the State of Hawaii. The HCJDC works in collaboration with the Criminal Justice (CJD) and Investigations Divisions of the Department of the Attorney General (AG), local law enforcement, and the US Marshal Service to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, known as SORNA. The projects proposed in this application aim to combat the shortfalls of Hawaii’s compliance with SORNA requirements.
The HCJDC Sex Offender Registration (SOR) Unit generates verification forms and conducts quarterly mailouts. The SOR Unit, with assistance from student helpers, process and update offender registration records.
The SOR Unit also generates a non-compliant list to provide to the AG Investigators to perform in-person residential checks for offenders who fail to complete and return the quarterly mailed verification form, fail to report in person annually, fail to report upon release from incarceration, and who may have absconded. The AG Investigators periodically travel to neighboring islands to conduct in-person residential checks. The AG Investigators also investigate and confer offenders for criminal prosecution and issue bench warrants for those who fail to comply with registration requirements.
The CJD Deputy Attorneys General (DAGS) classify sex offenders into SORNA compliant tiers. The DAGS advise the HCJDC in termination of registration matters and conduct criminal prosecution of covered offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements.
The goals of this project are to:
1. Continue compliance with SORNA’s verification and appearance requirements.
2. Travel to the neighbor islands to conduct in-person compliance checks on each reported non-compliant sex offender; and
3. Support daily SORNA operations through the purchase of supplies and equipment.