Ga. sex offender registry problems cost the state federal funds

An interesting article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Shortcomings in Georgia’s sex offender registration program are going to cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grant money, according to a letter the U.S. Department of Justice sent to the governor.

The state receives from $4.9 million to almost $5.9 million annually from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and has spent the money on several legal initiatives, but problems with the sex offender registry could cost Georgia 10 percent of its allotment.

There are 22,345 names on Georgia’s sex offender registry, which is available to the public to track sex offenders in their communities, including information on where they live.

The Department of Justice has found the state’s registry deficient each year since 2012 for failing to gather a variety of information on convicted sex offenders.

One of the shortcomings the federal money would have to address is work to assess the risk that each offender poses to commit another sex crime.

Federal law requires that each offender be classified as either Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 by a specially appointed Sex Offender Registration Review Board. The classification system helps local law enforcement focus on monitoring those sex offenders who pose the greatest danger.

Notably, Florida does not have tier levels either. We just have offenders and predators.