Printer-Friendly Version (January/February 2007)

Partnership in Action In his keynote address to the conference, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales shared a "true success story" that illustrates the importance of partnerships in Project Safe Childhood efforts. To view the entire address, go to www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2006/ ag_speech_061204.html. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales delivers the keynote address. The strength of the Project Safe Childhood structure was evident when a tip from a concerned citizen led to the indictment of a registered sex offender on five counts of production of child pornography. The defendant was observed at a public park with a group of young boys and a digital camera. The concerned citizen called the St. Paul Police Department, who ultimately requested assistance from the Minnesota ICAC Task Force, who then included the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, Midwest Children's Resource Center, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in the investigation. With all hands on deck, it was discovered that the defendant had been manufacturing child pornography for years. The Project Safe Childhood coalition in Minnesota was ultimately able to rescue several boys from continuing abuse and exploitation.

On December 4–6, 2006, some 750 participants gathered in Washington, DC, for the 2006 Project Safe Childhood (PSC) National Conference. Attendees included U.S. Attorneys from 95 districts, members of the 46 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, as well as local, State, and Federal law enforcement partners from across the Nation. Participants attended programs on topics such as strategic planning and partnerships, the legal challenges of child pornography trials, advocating for victims of online child exploitation, and the use of investigative forensics. In addition, conference participants received copies of OJJDP's new Portable Guide publication Use of Computers in the Sexual Exploitation of Children (Second Edition), which details best practices for investigations involving computer evidence.

Project Safe Childhood is implemented through a partnership of U.S. Attorneys; ICAC Task Forces; Federal partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the U.S. Marshals; advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and other State and local law enforcement officials in each district. The Project's goal is to investigate and prosecute crimes against children facilitated through the Internet or other electronic media and communications devices. Other aspects of the program include increased Federal involvement in child pornography and enticement cases; training of Federal, State, and local law enforcement on investigating and prosecuting computer-facilitated crimes against children; and community awareness and educational programs.

The purpose of the ICAC program is to help State and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to cyberenticement and child pornography cases. The program started in 1998 with 10 Task Forces dedicated to investigating and prosecuting cases of cyberexploitation. The program now supports 46 Task Forces across the country.

The Task Forces have played a critical role in stopping Internet criminal activity targeting children. Since the inception of the program…ICAC Task Forces have made more than 7,300 arrests. In 2005 alone, ICAC investigations led to more than 1,600 arrests and more than 6,000 forensic examinations.

As part of their efforts to combat crimes against children, the individual State and regional ICAC Task Forces provide training and technical assistance to their Project Safe Childhood task force partners on the local level. In addition, the national ICAC Training and Technical Assistance Program trains prosecutors and investigators on best practices for handling child exploitation cases.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov/
To order Use of Computers in the Sexual Exploitation of Children, go to www.puborder.ncjrs.gov (search for NCJ 214167).

OJJDP, in partnership with the National Network of Youth Ministries and the Corporation for National and Community Service, is hosting two national training events—February 26–28 in Los Angeles, CA and April 11–13 in Nashville, TN—to assist mentoring programs in finding and recruiting new members, particularly through community- and faith-based collaborations.

The "Mobilizing New Mentors…Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaborations" training initiative is in its second year. Several hundred participants are expected at each of the 2007 events, which offer information on how to find new mentors, work with faith-based organizations, run an effective volunteer program, and develop a faith-based mentoring program.

Featured speakers at the Los Angeles event include Alison Fritz, Director of Faith- and Community-Based Initiatives, Corporation for National and Community Service; Dr. Susan Weinberger, President, Mentor Consulting Group; Reverend Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., Director, Amachi Program; and Lynn Ziegenfuss, Mentor Project Director, National Network of Youth Ministries. Nashville speakers include J. Robert Flores, Administrator, OJJDP; Dr. Weinberger and Ms. Ziegenfuss; and Bill Milliken, Founder and Vice Chairman, Communities in Schools.

The registration deadlines are February 16, 2007, for the Los Angeles session and March 30, 2007, for the Nashville session.

For additional information, visit www.mentoryouth.com/training or call 1–877–500–MENTOR.

El Salvador Training Pinpoints Anti-Gang Strategies

OJJDP Gang Program Coordinator Phelan Wyrick conducted gang prevention training at the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador, January 29–February 2, 2007.

The training, focusing on sharing best practices and lessons learned in gang enforcement and prevention, was part of a larger effort by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and the Department of Justice's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training to work with Central American countries and Mexico to improve anti-gang activities, information sharing, and international cooperation. Participants included 55 law enforcement and prosecutorial leaders from Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama. Training topics included trends in U.S., Mexican, and Central American gang organization, structure, and activities; interviewing, debriefing, and interrogating gang members; and managing gang members in prison. To eliminate language barriers, interpreters provided simultaneous translation throughout the training.

During the training, Dr. Wyrick described gang prevention and intervention findings and experiences gleaned from OJJDP's gang research and anti-gang demonstration projects over the past 12 years, including longitudinal research studies and the Six Site Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative announced by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in March 2006. Dr. Wyrick also moderated a discussion by a panel of gang prevention and intervention service providers from participating countries.

New Initiative Seeks To Reduce Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In September 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced a $1 million award to the Salvation Army and its partners for a new initiative to reduce and eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Funding will help communities in five selected cities align investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services resources to combat CSEC.

On December 6–8, 2006, the first meeting of the CSEC Community Capacity Building Initiative in Chicago, IL was held. At the meeting, representatives from Federal, State, and local organizations gathered to build alliances in preventing and—ultimately—eliminating practices such as the prostitution of children, child pornography, and the sexual use of children in strip clubs, massage parlors, and escort services.

One report estimates that more than 300,000 children are commercially exploited in the United States, not including children trafficked into the United States from other countries. At the press conference for the meeting, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores said:

The abuse, rape and exploitation of children and adolescents for commercial purposes are morally
reprehensible and particularly degrading and destructive forms of maltreatment. Victims must be protected
and supported. The solution ultimately requires cooperation and information sharing among law enforcement, prosecution, child welfare, education and youth services, and other resources in the community and public and private sectors. This initiative is just such a cooperative effort.

The 2-year cooperative agreement was awarded to the Salvation Army and its primary partners, Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), the Polaris Project, and the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition. The five sites chosen for the initiative are Atlantic City, NJ; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; San Diego, CA; and Washington, DC.

Combating the sexual exploitation of children is a major priority of the Department of Justice. In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced the Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which brings together the U.S. Attorneys, all levels of law enforcement, and nongovernmental organizations to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children.

Department of Justice Marks 11th Anniversary of AMBER Alert

Today we honor Amber Hagerman's memory, whose legacy has saved hundreds of children's lives. As we reflect upon the extraordinary successes of the AMBER Alert program, we are grateful for the diligent cooperation among law enforcement, broadcasters, and the public to help bring abducted children home.

On January 12, 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice commemorated the 11-year anniversary of the AMBER Alert program by pointing to the success of the initiative that has saved the lives of 308 children nationwide.

The AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert network was created in response to the tragic death of Amber Hagerman, who 11 years ago was abducted while riding her bicycle in Arlington, TX, and then brutally murdered. The program began that same year when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed up with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children. Other States and communities soon set up their own AMBER plans as the idea was adopted across the Nation.

In commemoration of the anniversary of AMBER Alert, Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for OJP and the national AMBER Alert Coordinator said, "In 11 years we have seen a single, local program grow into a powerful national network. Over 300 children have been recovered thanks to the cooperation and collaboration of broadcasters, law enforcement officials, transportation agencies, public and private sector organizations, and concerned citizens."

AMBER Alerts are emergency messages broadcast when a law enforcement agency determines that a child has been abducted and is in imminent danger. The broadcasts include information that could lead to the child's recovery, such as physical descriptions about the child and abductor and information about the abductor's vehicle.

In October 2002, President Bush hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children. Following the Conference, the Attorney General appointed the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to serve as the national AMBER Alert Coordinator, and a national strategy was developed to create a seamless network of alert systems. The PROTECT Act, which President Bush signed into law in April 2003, statutorily established the national AMBER Alert Coordinator role.

Since that time, AMBER Alert has made significant progress:

• All 50 States now have statewide AMBER Alert plans, creating a network of plans nationwide to aid in the recovery
  of abducted children.
• Tribal nations are working to develop their own plans tailored to their specific needs so that children in Indian country may benefit from AMBER Alert.
• Ninety percent of the 308 AMBER Alert recoveries have occurred since AMBER Alert became a nationally coordinated effort in 2002.
• In May 2005, OJP, along with other government officials and the wireless industry, announced that wireless users can receive geographically specified messages on their wireless devices through an AMBER Alert wireless messaging system.
• Anecdotal evidence demonstrates that perpetrators are well aware of the power of AMBER Alert and in many cases have released an abducted child upon hearing the alert.

Assistant Attorney General Promotes National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week

"Teen dating violence victimizes students in their middle and high school years, a time during which they are developing attitudes and behaviors that will shape later relationships," said Regina B. Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. "If we work together now, we can make a real difference in the lives of teens, and improve their prospects for a healthier adulthood."

During National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, February 5-9, 2007, Regina B. Schofield was interviewed on a Teen Kids News television broadcast scheduled to air on February 24, 2007. Teen Kids News is a television news program by teens and for teens and pre-teens across the country. Five thousand schools will receive the broadcast the week of February 26.

Designated by Congress, the second National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week called on the public, high schools, law enforcement agencies, State and local officials, and interested groups to address this problem in their communities.

About 9 percent of high school students report having experienced physical violence in a dating relationship. Research shows that these teens are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, are at greater risk of suicide, and may carry patterns of abuse into future relationships. Yet despite the seriousness of the problem, dating violence does not always receive the same public and media attention as crimes such as sexual assault or spousal abuse.

Information about teen dating violence is also available from the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, sponsored by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with other Federal agencies including the Department of Justice.

New Publications

All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded at ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications. Print publications may also be ordered online at puborder.ncjrs.gov.

Now Available

Juvenile Arrests 2004. Summarizes and analyzes national and State juvenile arrest data from the FBI's report Crime in the United States 2004. (December 2006, NCJ 214563).

Juvenile Court Statistics 2001–2002. Profiles more than 1.6 million delinquency cases handled by courts with juvenile jurisdictions in 2002 and describes trends since 1985. Includes State- and county-level data for both 2001 and 2002. Online only.

Coming Soon

Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey. Presents data on the extent and distribution of juvenile suicides in confinement. (NCJ 213691)

Funding Update

SAG Grant Awarded

OJJDP has awarded a grant to Development Services Group, Inc. (DSG) to provide nationwide training to State Advisory Groups (SAGs) working to improve their juvenile justice systems.

Federal legislation requires the Governor of each State and territory to establish a SAG consisting of members with training, experience, and special knowledge regarding juvenile delinquency prevention, reduction, and treatment and juvenile justice administration. The SAG in each State defines priority areas such as preventing delinquency and addressing the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002. These requirements include deinstitutionalization of status offenders, separation of juveniles from adults in institutions, removal of juveniles from adult jails and lockups, and reduction of disproportionate minority contact. Each SAG develops a 3-year plan based on an analysis of local crime statistics, gaps in related systems, trends within the State, and other identified needs. SAGs play a critical role in defining juvenile justice within their States.

To find out the SAG contact in each State, go to http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/statecontacts/resourcelist.asp, check the box for State Advisory Group (SAG), and click on the State desired.

News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the Federal Government. The Council's primary functions are to coordinate Federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, Federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and Federal programs relating to missing and exploited children.

The Council met most recently on November 30, 2006, and in a closed planning session on December 1, 2006. At the public meeting, members heard a presentation on the National MCH Center for Child Death Review and discussed the connection between the reviews conducted at the State and local levels and changes to policy and practice that help improve child and youth safety. At the planning session, Council designees and staff identified several sets of activities recommended for consideration by the Council over the next 12–24 months. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 2, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC.

For meeting summaries, information about the Council's mission, and links to related resources, visit the Council's Web site at www.juvenilecouncil.gov.

News From the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ) is a consultative body established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 and supported by OJJDP. Composed of representatives nominated by the Governors, the Committee advises the President and Congress on matters related to juvenile justice, evaluates the progress and accomplishments of juvenile justice activities and projects, and advises the OJJDP Administrator on the work of OJJDP.

The Annual Report subcommittee of FACJJ met January 26–27, 2007, in Washington, DC. The subcommittee began deliberations on the 2007 Annual Reports to the President and Congress and to the OJJDP Administrator. The next FACJJ meeting will be held April 23–24, 2007, also in Washington, DC, for full committee discussion of the preliminary draft of its two reports on recommendations.

Meeting summaries and other information about the Advisory Committee are available on the Committee's Web site.

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