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OJJDP's ICAC Task Force Program Protects Children in Cyberspace

Every year, millions of children and teenagers go online to research homework assignments, play games, and chat with friends. Unfortunately, these young people are also at risk of victimization by sexual predators who use the Internet to exchange child pornography or engage youth in sexual activity.

Recognizing that victimization in cyberspace poses a unique threat to the health and safety of children and a formidable challenge to law enforcement, OJJDP created the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program in 1998. The purpose of the program is to help law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to online sexual victimization of children. Today, the ICAC Program has an established network of 45 regional task forces that coordinate the efforts of more than 2,700 affiliated federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in all 50 states.

Supporting State and Local Efforts

ICAC's national network of multiagency, multijurisdictional task forces engage in proactive investigations, forensic examinations, and effective prosecutions. The task forces also provide forensic, prevention, and investigation assistance to parents, educators, prosecutors, law enforcement, and others concerned with child victimization issues. By helping state and local law enforcement agencies develop effective and sustainable responses to online child victimization and child pornography, the ICAC Program delivers national resources at the local level.

Training and Technical Assistance

The ICAC Training and Technical Assistance Program was established to help state and local law enforcement agencies enhance their response to online victimization of children. Under the OJJDP-funded program, Fox Valley Technical College offers a variety of courses, such as:

• Investigative Techniques. A 5-day program designed to provide state and local law enforcement investigators with a basic understanding of investigative techniques in the area of Internet crimes against children.

• Child Sex Offender Accountability. A 4-day technology training program for law enforcement investigators, probation/parole officers, and prosecutors responsible for monitoring or investigating the activities of convicted child sex offenders.

• Undercover Chat Investigations. A 5-day program for experienced ICAC investigators, covering the latest tools and techniques for combating online child exploitation.

ICAC partners with the Annual Crimes Against Children Conference, a national child maltreatment training symposium held in Dallas, TX. Each year, more than 200 ICAC Task Force investigators participate in this conference. The 2005 conference featured an ICAC mock trial and increased Internet training for all conference attendees. The next conference is scheduled for August 21-24, 2006.

National Oversight

The ICAC Task Force Board of Directors, composed of law enforcement managers and prosecutors appointed by participating regional task forces, meets quarterly to review ICAC activities, make policy recommendations, and assess training and technical assistance needs for OJJDP. Serving as technical advisors to the board are the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and NCMEC. The board's legal advisor is the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division.

For Additional Information

To learn more about ICAC, including funding, resources, and contacts, visit the www.icactraining.org

Children's Advocacy Centers Offer Support and Services to Abused Children

One of the primary goals of the CAC program is to ensure that child abuse victims are not further traumatized by the intervention systems designed to protect them. By developing a comprehensive and appropriate response to child abuse, CACs are able to minimize the trauma to children who, in addition to dealing with the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of their abuse, may need to serve as a witness in a criminal prosecution or perhaps be placed in an alternate home setting.

In response to the Victims of Child Abuse Act, OJJDP first awarded grants in 1995 to establish four Regional CACs for a 5-year project period. In September 2005, OJJDP again awarded 5-year grants for four Regional CACs that will provide training, technical assistance, and other services to local CACs in the midwestern, northeastern, southern, and western areas of the United States. The goals of the Regional CACs include the following:

• Increase the number of facility-based, multidisciplinary teams and CACs for purposes of providing coordinated, nontraumatizing services to victims of child abuse and neglect and their families.

• Provide assistance to developing and existing multidisciplinary teams and local CACs in advancing on the continuum towards accredited membership with the National Children's Alliance (see sidebar below).

• Provide training and technical assistance to allied professionals within the targeted regions.

Justice Department Supports Grassroots Efforts To Help At-Risk Youth

At the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a special task force (DOJ Task Force for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives) is helping to ensure equal access to federal grant opportunities for all interested and qualified service providers, including faith-based groups that offer social services. Faith-based and community organizations working together with other local groups (e.g., educators, law enforcement officers, parents) can enhance efforts to help at-risk youth make better life choices and avoid involvement with the justice system. (See "Supporting Programs, Transforming Lives," below.)

The President's Initiative does not award grants and is not a set-aside or preferential program. All funds are administered through existing federal grant program offices. The purpose of the DOJ Task Force is to highlight best practices, bring innovative programs to the attention of the nation, and provide information to help faith-based and community groups have an equal opportunity to compete for grants.

In January 2004, the DOJ Task Force promulgated a regulation entitled "Participation in Justice Department Programs by Religious Organizations; Providing for Equal Treatment of All Justice Department Program Participants." It applies to all DOJ employees, vendors, grantees (including state and local governmental agencies), and subgrantees. As applied to the administration of Juvenile Justice funds, this regulation:

• Prohibits discrimination for or against an organization on the basis of religion, religious belief, or religious character.

• Allows a participating religious organization to retain its independence and continue to carry out its mission, provided that Juvenile Justice funds to grantees and subgrantees do not support any inherently religious activities.

• Clarifies that faith-based organizations can use space in their facilities to provide Juvenile Justice-funded services without removing religious art, icons, scriptures, or other religious symbols.

• Ensures that Juvenile Justice-funded services are available to all beneficiaries, regardless of their religion.

A copy and summary of the regulation are available on the Task Force's Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fbci. The Task Force welcomes inquiries; call 202-514-2987 or e-mail [email protected]. Information on the regulation is also available through the Office of Justice Programs, Office for Civil Rights; to report possible violations, call the Office for Civil Rights at 202-307-0690.

Conference Emphasizes Local Remedies for Disproportionate Minority Contact

The State and Local DMC Coordinators and DMC Committee Members Forum drew representatives from 40 states. The Forum generated sharing among the state and local representatives and a list of followup tasks to encourage continued peer support. In addition, OJJDP staff facilitated one-on-one sessions with consultants for 15 states on the use of their DMC Relative Rate Indexes and the review of OJJDP's draft DMC Web-based Data Entry System.

In remarks on the opening day of the conference, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores commended the attendees on progress to date in combating DMC and emphasized the continued need for policy reforms and improvement.

OJJDP To Air Videoconference on Youth Gangs

On January 11, 2006, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET, OJJDP will air the live videoconference "Communities Respond to Youth Gangs in America." This program will be available for viewing nationwide via satellite downlink or on the Internet.

Broadcast live from Washington, DC, this OJJDP videoconference will highlight community programs and strategies from across the nation to address the problem of youth gangs. Topics will include:

• Leveraging of existing resources.
• Partnerships across disciplines.
• Innovative strategies.
• Faith-based responses.
• Grassroots and neighborhood efforts.

The broadcast is designed for anyone interested in the issue of youth gangs, including school personnel, school resource officers/G.R.E.A.T. officers, law enforcement professionals, local Boys & Girls Club staff, youth development professionals, probation and corrections officers, prosecutors and court personnel, researchers, elected officials, and youth leaders.

To learn more about the videoconference and to register online, visit http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/.

New Publications

All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded at ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications. Print publications may also be ordered from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (order online at puborder.ncjrs.org or call 800-851-3420).

In the Pipeline

How the Justice System Responds to Juvenile Victims: A Comprehensive Model. Part of the Crimes Against Children Series, this Bulletin introduces the concept of a juvenile victim justice system. It identifies the major elements of this system by delineating how cases move through it, reviewing each step for the child protection and criminal justice systems and describing the interaction of the agencies and individuals involved.

Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002: Selected Findings. This Bulletin, the latest in the Juvenile Offenders and Victims National Report Series, summarizes findings from the 2002 Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC). JRFC data indicate that the number of juvenile offenders in custody nationwide decreased 7 percent between 2000 and 2002. The number of youth who died in custody also declined during this period, from 30 to 26.

Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention. Drawing on research conducted by the Northwestern Juvenile Project in Cook County, IL, this study examines the prevalence of alcohol, drug, and mental disorders among detained youth, by gender, race/ethnicity, and age. The Bulletin presents information that can help the juvenile justice system detect and respond to youth with psychiatric disorders.

New Videoconference Tapes and DVDs

Three new videoconferences are available from OJJDP. Topics are truancy prevention, graduated sanctions, and prostitution of children.

Strategies, Programs, and Resources To Prevent Truancy

This videoconference provides an overview of the issues addressed in the December 2004 conference "Partnering To Prevent Truancy: A National Priority," cosponsored by OJJDP and the Office of State and Drug-Free Schools of the U.S. Department of Education. The videoconference features evidence-based approaches to truancy and related issues.
Order DVD
Order videotape

Graduated Sanctions: Effective Intervention Strategies for Addressing Delinquency

Broadcast live from the 2005 National Conference on Juvenile Justice in Orlando, FL, this videoconference highlights the efforts of OJJDP and the Juvenile Sanctions Center to support and implement effective graduated sanctions strategies. The broadcast was designed for a diverse audience of juvenile justice services providers.
Order DVD
Order videotape

Working Together To Stop the Prostitution of Children

This December 2003 videoconference examines the challenges that face youth services professionals who are concerned with the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration among public- and private-sector agencies, community-based organizations, and victims, the videoconference explores effective prosecution strategies to hold perpetrators accountable and features community efforts designed to break the cycle of violence and victimization.
Order videotape

These and other videoconferences may be viewed at the Juvenile Justice Teleconferencing Web site.

Funding Update

The following is a brief summary of OJJDP's recent funding activities. Be sure to check the Current Funding section of the OJJDP Web site for the latest news on OJJDP funding opportunities. To receive e-mail notification of new funding opportunities, subscribe to JUVJUST.

Current Funding Opportunities

OJJDP is announcing a number of FY 2006 solicitations in late December 2005 and early January 2006, including announcements for the Formula Grants Program, the Juvenile Accountability Grants Program, and the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Program. Other solicitations focus on the provision of training and technical assistance for the AMBER Alert Program, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, and Missing and Exploited Children's Program. Information about these and other current OJJDP funding opportunities is available in the Current Funding section of the OJJDP Web site.

OJJDP Discretionary Program Grant Applications Moving to Grants.gov

As part of the federal government's efforts to streamline the grant application process, all OJJDP FY 2006 competitive discretionary program grant applications will be submitted through Grants.gov. This will only affect applicants pursuing new competitive discretionary grants. Applications for continuation, earmark, and nondiscretionary (e.g., formula) funding will still be submitted through the Office of Justice Programs' Grants Management System (GMS).

Grants.gov will serve as the single access point for more than 1,000 grant programs offered by the 26 federal grant-making agencies. Submitting applications through Grants.gov offers a number of benefits, including one-time registration, access to grant opportunities across the federal government, the ability to complete an application offline, notices of new funding opportunities, and online tracking of grant applications.

Applicants must register through the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) before applying through Grants.gov. This registration process will take several days to complete; applicants should plan accordingly to meet grant deadlines. To begin the registration process, go to www.ccr.gov.

News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

At the Council's December 2, 2005, quarterly meeting, hosted by the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, DC, Council members discussed a new interagency mentoring council and heard presentations on the Corporation's priorities and efforts to increase service learning and volunteerism; on the new community planning guide developed by nine federal agencies as part of the Helping America's Youth (HAY) initiative (available to individuals and community planners at www.helpingamericasyouth.org); and on the Integrated Juvenile Information System, a mapping tool being developed by OJJDP in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies to help researchers and government agencies analyze delinquency and crime and the resources available to address these problems.

The Council, with support from OJJDP, is continuing preparations for its first national conference, "Building for Success: Providing Today's Youth With Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow." The conference, which will be held January 9-13, 2006, in Washington, DC, is designed to provide a framework for action to address the many issues that face our nation's youth. For more information and to register online, visit the Conference Web site at www.juvenilecouncil.gov/2006NationalConference

The next Council meeting is scheduled for March 3, 2006, and will be hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. For meeting summaries, information about the Council's mission, and links to related resources, visit the Council's Web site at juvenilecouncil.gov.

News From the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice 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 Committee's most recent meeting was held October 24-25, 2005, in San Antonio, TX. Highlights of the meeting included remarks by J. Robert Flores, OJJDP Administrator, and David Schmidt, Chair, Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice. Open sessions included deliberation and approval of the Committee's 2005 final draft reports, discussion of the Committee's core values, and conversation on illegal immigration and its impact on juvenile justice operations in Texas and other border states. Closed sessions included working meetings of the Annual Report, Planning, Legal, and Grants subcommittees.

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

OJJDP Staff News: Volunteers Support Hurricane Relief Efforts

"Challenging." "Rewarding." "Humbling." These are words three OJJDP staff members use to describe their experience working with victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Gwen Dilworth, Tom Murphy, and Scott Pestridge were among the many U.S. Department of Justice and other federal employees who volunteered to go on detail to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) in support of the federal government's hurricane relief efforts. After receiving training at the FEMA training center in Orlando, FL, Gwen and Scott were sent to a disaster recovery center in New Iberia, LA, while Tom was located at a center in Abbeville, LA.

Serving as applicant service specialists, Gwen and Scott were part of a team that included FEMA personnel and representatives from other federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, the General Services Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management. They guided hurricane victims through the disaster assistance system, helped them draft letters of need, and facilitated their requests for assistance. Working 12-13 hours a day, 7 days a week, their team served about 4,000 people during their 30 days at the center. Scott described their role as "putting a face on the federal government" by using their skills and knowledge to find solutions and responses to the victims' needs.

In Abbeville, Tom was part of a team that included members from FEMA, the Internal Revenue Service, NASA, the Transportation Security Administration, and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and State. Noting that Vermilion Parish (where Abbeville is located) was one of the areas hit hard by the storm surge and winds from Hurricane Rita, Tom marveled at the resiliency of the area residents, who came from diverse cultures and backgrounds but shared the same determination to overcome adversity.

All three recalled heartbreaking stories of victims whose lives were devastated by the storm. In discussing their experience, they spoke with respect and compassion for the victims, noting the many kindnesses and appreciation they received from those they were trying to help. Gwen perhaps summed it up best when she said that the people she met "would live in my heart and my mind forever."

Gwen, Scott, and Tom are all program managers at OJJDP, Gwen in the Demonstration Programs Division, Scott and Tom in the State Relations and Assistance Division.

January 13 Is AMBER Alert Awareness Day

The U.S. Department of Justice has declared January 13, 2006, AMBER Alert Awareness Day in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Arlington, TX. The purpose of AMBER Alert Awareness Day is to bring public awareness to the AMBER Alert program and to increase public participation in safely recovering missing children. Across the nation, state and regional AMBER Alert coordinators will be holding public awareness activities, press conferences, and other events to commemorate this day.

The final plenary session of the upcoming national conference "Building for Success: Providing Today's Youth With Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow" will also commemorate AMBER Alert Awareness Day.

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