NCJ Number
132835
Journal
Journal of Marriage and the Family Volume: 53 Dated: (August 1991) Pages: 805-817
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The national incidence of family abductions for 1988 was estimated using the Household Survey portion of the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART). Caretakers in 10,544 randomly selected households were questioned about the experiences of over 20,500 children aged 17 or younger.
Abstract
Based on the survey results, and using a broad, legal definition of abduction that included many short-term violations of custody agreements, the authors estimated there were approximately 354,100 child abductions by family members. When child abduction was defined more narrowly to mean a situation including concealment, transportation to another State, or an intent to keep the child or to permanently alter custodial privileges, the estimate dropped to 163,200 children. 8 tables, 10 notes, and 27 references (Author abstract modified)