The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (Pub.L. 109-248) was passed by Congress on July 26, 2006. Title I of the Adam Walsh Act is known as the "Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act" (SORNA). SORNA was passed to deter sex offenders, allow law enforcement to track sex offenders and allow the public to take appropriate safety precautions.
SORNA requires that states, territories and tribes enact certain sex offender registrration and monitoring legislation. The Mescalero Apache Tribe passed the Tribal Sex Offender Registration Code (TSORC) in January of 2012.
TSORC creates 3 tiers of sex offenders depending on the severity of the sex offense committed. The length and frequency of registration is determined by the tier. Failure to register and update information is a crime.
Sex offenders who: 1) are convicted in Mescalero Apache Tribal Court; 2) reside on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation; 3) are incarcerated on the Reservation; 3) are students on the Reservation or 4) are employed on the Reservation must register with the Tribe.
