Excerpts from todays edition of 
The Federal Register

The Department of Justice is adopting a rule that specifies the registration requirements under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The rule in part reflects express requirements of SORNA and in part reflects the exercise of authorities SORNA grants to the Attorney General to interpret and implement SORNA's requirements. SORNA's requirements have previously been delineated in guidelines issued by the Attorney General for implementation of SORNA's requirements by registration jurisdictions. 

The Department of Justice received over 700 comments on this rulemaking from individuals and organizations. Most of the comments amounted to general criticisms of sex offender registration or SORNA. Some of the comments proposed specific changes to the provisions of the proposed rule. Having carefully considered all comments, the Department of Justice has concluded that the regulations in this rulemaking should be promulgated without change from the proposed rule, except for amendment of § 72.8(a)(1)(i)-(ii) to specify the circumstances in which SORNA violations may result in Federal criminal liability.

This rule is effective January 7, 2022.

Alliance for Constitutional Sexual Offense Laws (ACSOL) will hold a Zoom meeting this Saturday at 12:00 noon Central Time, 10 AM Pacific Time,  1 PM Eastern Time. See their post here

Dobbs Wire

Heads up!  New SORNA regulations were issued today – take effect Jan. 7, 2022.  They will impact everybody on a sex offense registry.

In the last months of the Trump administration the Department of Justice (DOJ) suddenly issued draft regulations under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  The draft regulations were published as required and hundreds of comments received.

After the comment period ended there was no response from the government.  The silence continued as Trump exited and Biden took office.  Any hopes that Biden might simply do nothing and leave the regulations in limbo evaporated. 

Today’s Federal Register has the finalized regulations.  They’re lengthy and complicated, lots of questions as to what they mean and how they will be enforced.  Without a doubt these federal regulations will make life even more hellish for the hundreds of thousands (900,000+ in 2018 according to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) listed on state sex offense registries –counting their families and significant others, several million people will be impacted.

While the states are at the center of registration matters, these changes expand the responsibilities that registrants have under federal law, creating more trip wires and opportunities for prosecution.  The screws are being tightened, again.  The existing registry regime has produced no benefit to public safety.  A more draconian regime will not change that.  As of 2021 every state has had a registry for 25 years.  There’s still no coherent cry to get rid of these ineffective, destructive laws.  I hope these SORNA changes will bring more people into this fight.

The regulations are linked below as published in the Federal Register.  They’re online here:

Registration Requirements Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (OAG 157; RIN 1105-AB52)

Bill Dobbs, Publisher The Dobbs Wire info@thedobbswire.com85 Fed. Reg. 49332 - FPD Comment2021-26420

Comments from WAR

Between now and Dec 11, 2021 the United States Congress could possibly block this from becoming effective if they hear from constituents.

Find my legislators 

https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Please call your senator and representative's offices immediately stating you are a constituent of (legislator name) and ask that they immediately block these regulations from going into effect in January as it will negatively impact more than 917,000 registered families across the nation.  

WAR National Directors