Sex Offender Resources

Over the last few years, Georgia's General Assembly has passed several law that prohibit people on the sex offender registry from living or working in certain locations within 1,000 feet of: schools, child care facilities, school bus stops and other areas where minors congregate. On June 20, 2006, the Southern Center for Human Rights ("SCHR") filed a lawsuit on behalf of everyone on the registry challenging these residency and employment restrictions. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta. The defendants in the case are Governor Sonny Perdue, Attorney General Thurbert Baker, and all of the sheriffs in Georgia.

The SMART Office was authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to: - administer the standards for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Program set forth in Title 1 of the Adam Walsh Act; - administer grant programs relating to sex offender registration and notification authorized by the Adam Walsh Act and other grant programs authorized by the Adam Walsh Act as directed by the Attorney General; - cooperate with and provide technical assistance to states, the District of Columbia, principle U.S. territories, units of local government, tribal governments, and other public and private entities involved in activities related to sex offender registration or notification or to other measures for the protection of children or other members of the public from sexual abuse or exploitation; and - perform such other functions as the Attorney General may delegate.