    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [June 25, 1996]
    [Page 979]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 979]]

    Memorandum on the Development of a National Sexual Offender Registration
    System
    June 25, 1996

    Memorandum for the Attorney General

    Subject: Development of a National Sexual Offender Registration System

        One of the most important duties of government is to provide safety
    and protection for our children from sexual offenders. Sex crimes and
    sex offender recidivism present very real and substantial challenges to
    law enforcement in protecting vulnerable populations and preventing
    crime. Law enforcement data show that, as a group, sex offenders are
    significantly more likely than other repeat offenders to commit
    additional sex crimes or other violent crimes, and that tendency
    persists over time.
        One of the most significant provisions in the ``Violent Crime
    Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994'' (Crime Bill) was the Jacob
    Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender
    Registration Act (Wetterling Act). It promotes the establishment by
    States of effective registration systems for child molesters and other
    sexually violent offenders.
        In addition, I recently signed ``Megan's Law,'' which builds upon
    the Crime Bill by making community notification concerning registered
    sex offenders mandatory. Megan's Law will require States to make public
    relevant information about child molesters and sexually violent
    offenders who are released from prison or placed on parole.
        Sex offender registration systems can greatly assist the
    investigation of sex crimes. In addition, creation of State-based
    registration systems is crucial for enabling State law enforcement
    agencies to communicate with each other regarding sex offenders who
    cross State lines. When sex offenders move, the law should move with
    them.
        It is time to take the next step. That is why I am directing the
    Department of Justice to develop a plan for the implementation of a
    national sexual predator and child molester registration system. This
    system should build upon the Wetterling Act--which is already
    establishing 50 separate sex offender registration and notification
    systems--by combining this information into a national system.
        I want the Department to work with all 50 States, the Congress, the
    Judiciary, and all appropriate Federal agencies on a plan for such a
    system so that law enforcement officers at every level will have access
    to information on all sexual offenders in the United States and share
    this information with one another.
        Please report to me in writing by August 20, 1996, on the specific
    steps you will take to develop this policy. Thank you for all the work
    you and the Department have done to date, and for the work it will take
    to put this important piece in place.

                                                          William J. Clinton