NCJ Number
97855
Date Published
1984
Length
283 pages
Annotation
A diverse group of witnesses (legislators; State, Federal, and local law enforcement officials; and representatives of youth-serving organizations) testified regarding the proposed Missing Children's Assistance Act and reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act.
Abstract
The first 2 days of hearings focused on the circumstances surrounding the disappearances of several children, some of whom were still missing. Actions taken by parents, organizations, and law enforcement agencies to respond to parental kidnapping and stranger abduction were described. Personal accounts of parents underscored the need for a national hotline and clearinghouse for information. A representative from the FBI summarized that agency's policy on investigating child kidnappings and how it coordinates these investigations with local agencies. The third day of hearings addressed reauthorization of the JJDP Act and its Title III, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. A representative of the National District Attorneys Association suggested modifications in the Act regarding the prosecution of violent juvenile offenders. Representatives from several youth-serving agencies discussed the JJDP Act, with attention to community-based programs as alternatives to secure detention and crisis intervention services for runaways. On the final day, testimony from the administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention favored the Missing Children's Assistance Act with some modifications, but did not support Title II of the JJDP Act. Witnesses' prepared statements, materials submitted, and the text of the Missing Children's Assistance Act are supplied.