On September 23rd, Ohio Attorney General and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Ohio became the first state to achieve substantial compliance with Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Title I, known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), requires registration and community notification of youth convicted of sex offenses.

However, the Justice Policy Institute, a national organization focusing on juvenile and criminal justice issues, released a report, Registering Harm (referenced in a previous blog) warning that placing youth on sex offender registries is unlikely to improve public safety. The Justice Policy Institute stated that this registration can negatively affect a young person’s entire life, and often penalizes their families as well. The public would also feel the negative effects of this act. JPI explains that the broad registration and notification practices will make it difficult to determine who on the registry poses a public safety threat and who does not.