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All 50 states linked to Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Registry Web site

South Dakota and Oregon Registries are final states linked to site

July 3, 2006

WASHINGTON - All 50 states are now participating in the National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) Web site, the Justice Department announced today. South Dakota and Oregon now have been added to the Web site, which provides real-time access to public sex offender data nationwide with a single Internet search. The Department of Justice-sponsored site allows parents and concerned citizens to search existing public state and territory sex offender registries beyond their own states.

“As of July 1st, an important child protection tool will be a truly comprehensive one, with information for all 50 states available nationwide,” said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. “The full completion of the structure of the National Sex Offender Public Registry is very good news for parents and law enforcement officers nationwide. The constant effort to safeguard our children from sex offenders is never finished, but today's announcement marks a clear accomplishment on the side of protection.”

The Justice Department announced the activation of a national registry Web site last year and initially linked 22 states to the site. Oregon and South Dakota recently passed the sex offender legislation that now allows the state to be included in the NSOPR as of July 1. With the addition of these two states, the registry connects 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territory of Guam to the site.

“With the inclusion of the last two states to the registry, the capacity grows for parents and communities to be informed and aware of sex offenders residing in their neighborhoods. We commend Oregon and South Dakota for making the site truly available nationwide,” said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. “The coordination among states, private organizations, and the Department of Justice moves us closer to making information about all registered sex offenders available to parents and concerned citizens.”

The NSOPR provides an opportunity for all states and territories to participate in an unprecedented public safety resource by sharing comprehensive, public sex offender data with citizens nationwide. NSOPR searches public state and territory sex offender registries to deliver matched results based on a name, state, county, city/town or zip code through a single query on its Web site located at www.nsopr.gov.

The technology for NSOPR is both time and cost-effective. Web services and DOJ's Global Justice eXtensible Markup Language (XML) establishes a link between existing state and territory public sex offender registries. The link allows data from different hardware and software systems to be recognized and shown through the national search site.

With more than 500,000 registered sex offenders nationwide, access to national public registry information is essential for citizens to help identify sex offenders beyond their own streets or neighborhoods.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP is headed by an Assistant Attorney General and comprises five component bureaus and two offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime, as well as the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education and the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy and OJP's American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Desk. More information can be found at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov.