The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to serving our nation's children proactively as well as reactively. Our mission is not simply to hold juveniles accountable when they commit crimes, but, even more, to prevent those crimes from occurring. This requires that we intervene in the lives of children to prevent them from becoming delinquents in the first place. As our awareness of the challenges our children face has sharpened, we have grown even more determined in our efforts to protect their lives and to help them find a positive path in life.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a component of the Office of Justice Programs, plays an important role in the Department's efforts to defend and protect our children. As evidenced by its participation in President Bush's White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children and its many programmatic efforts on behalf of children, OJJDP is providing leadership on a wide range of juvenile justice issues.

We are also committed to protecting children from victimization. To give just one example, we are pursuing aggressive and innovative strategies to defend our children in a growing arena for predators—the Internet. As technology has evolved, so have the means of exploiting our children. OJJDP's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program helps state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation to develop effective responses to cyber-enticement and child pornography cases.

This and the other programs highlighted in this Report document the Justice Department's dedication to ensuring that all America's children have the opportunity to grow up safe, strong, and free.