With approximately one year to go, none of the 20 states that have submitted compliance plans to the federal government have yet been certified as compliant, and there is a growing consensus at the federal level that the deadline for compliance should be extended to allow federal and state legislators to work together to resolve some of the problems anticipated by implementation. While the cost of compliance is one of the major challenges facing states, there are also concerns about the “one size fits all” nature of some of the regulations proposed, particularly as it relates to juvenile sex offenders. And, as it relates to juveniles, there are increasing concerns that this type of registration will, in the long run, do more harm than good. The Justice Policy Institute has issued a report called “Registering Harm: How Sex Offense Registries Fail Youth and Communities.”

That report is available at
http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/08-11_RPT_WalshActRegisteringHarm_JJ-PS.pdf

On the other hand, proponents of the kind of registration contemplated in the SORNA guidelines maintain that some form of nationwide registration system based on convictions/adjudications is an important component of protecting vulnerable children.

So, while immediate implementation of SORNA may be further delayed and perhaps some components modified, this discussion will continue in the months ahead.