SORNA FY 2023 Increase the arrest and extradition of sexual offenders to enhance SORNA in Puerto Rico's jurisdiction.

Puerto Rico’s Department of Justice (PRDOJ) through the Criminal Justice Information Services office (PRCJIS) is working continuously to enhance SORNA implementation throughout the jurisdiction. PRCJIS, as the office in charge of the administration of the Sex Offenders Registry, has develop innovative and proactive projects to strengthen the sex offender registrations in Puerto Rico, improve the case management process, and to provide to all State and Federal law enforcement agencies, the access to accurate criminal justice information through the State database, the Integrated Criminal Registry (RCI).

The RCI serves as the central hub and main system for criminal investigation and prosecution in the jurisdiction and stores more than 414, 073 records. The RCI has 26 files attached to the system as independent modules, including the Sex Offender Registry. Also, the PRDOJ, created the Sex Offenders Registry Unit (SORU) in the PRCJIS, to structure the management of sex offenders’ cases and strengthen the services provided to law enforcement agencies regarding SORNA. However, there are still gaps in the system that hinder full compliance, and not all convicted offenders are fulfilling their registration requirements and transfer to other jurisdictions, or vice versa to avoid their obligation to fulfill the sentence imposed by a court.

In many states and territories, including Puerto Rico, numerous convicted individuals avoid their sentences and obligations to their state by relocating to other jurisdictions. In Puerto Rico, in the past 6 months, a total of 52 convicted individuals have been extradited, most of them were convicted of murder, robbery, and kidnapping. Given the lack of funds, the extradition of sex offenders is limited. From July 1st, 2022, to June 30th, 23, the jurisdiction was able to extradite only 5 convicts. Still, 37 convicted sex offenders have not been identified living in Puerto Rico despite the efforts to trace them, so it is presumed that they repositioned.

The PRDOJ with SORNA 2023 Reallocation Funds, as its primary goal intends to carry out the arrest and extradition of at least 10 convicted offenders during the project’s performance period. This project is expected to assist the jurisdiction to complete the criminal proceedings, well if it is ending with an evaded trial or getting the convicted to comply with the imposed sentence. Also, SORNA 2023 funds will serve to finance the contracting of the Sex Offenders Registry Unit Administrator and the phase II of the RCI Updating project by renewing the Tracking Module.