This monograph describes best practices and programs that focus on the most effective responses to child victims and child witnesses according to those working in the criminal justice system. Specific recommendations are offered for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and the courts. June 1999; Free (NCJ 176983); OVC. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/factshts/monograph.htm

This bulletin examines data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) on the characteristics of crimes committed against juveniles. Part of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Crimes Against Children series, it analyzes 1997 NIBRS data (collected from 12 states) for such crimes as assault, kidnaping, robbery, and sexual assault. The analysis finds that juveniles make up 12 percent of all crime victims known to police, including 71 percent of all sex crime victims and 38 percent of all kidnaping victims. Simple assault is the most commonly reported crime against juveniles. June 2000; Free (NCJ 179034); OJJDP.
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/179034.pdf

This report provides guidelines for collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution of child pornography and prostitution cases and in the provision of services to young victims of these crimes. January 1995; Free (NCJ 153527); OVC.
www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/exploit.txt

This handbook discusses the vulnerability of children to criminal behavior and the severe consequences of victimization for children. It cautions against “revictimizing” child victims in criminal justice proceedings and provides guidelines for becoming a “child-friendly” professional. The handbook concludes with a discussion of children and posttraumatic stress disorder and lists resources for information and training. July 1998; Free (NCJ 172840); OVC.

This research preview document uses data from a project sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, the Indiana University Biomedical Research Committee, and Harvard University’s Talley Foundation on child abuse and neglect as predictors of violent criminal behavior to investigate the connection between childhood maltreatment and later arrest for alcohol- and drug-related offenses. November 1997; Free (FS 000108); NIJ.
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/chldvict.pdf

This bulletin, one in a series from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention that highlights key information from Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, notes that juveniles are twice as likely as adults to be victims of serious violent crime and three times as likely to be victims of assault. The bulletin documents the impact of crime on society’s most vulnerable victims—children. The bulletin is part of the 1999 National Report Series; each bulletin in the series highlights selected themes at the forefront of juvenile justice policymaking and extracts relevant National Report sections (including selected graphs and tables). May 2000; Free (NCJ 180753); OJJDP.
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/180753.pdf

This bulletin, a companion to Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Recommendations To Improve the Criminal Justice Response to Child Victims and Witnesses, provides information about the resources, tools, training, and services available to improve criminal justice responses to children who face crime and violence in their lives. June 1999; Free (NCJ 176984); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/factshts/cevcjr.htm

OVC views child neglect and abandonment as serious crimes that can harm children as severely as physical and sexual abuse. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs may use Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds to support services to child victims of neglect and/or abandonment. This fact sheet discusses the role of VOCA funding and how CASA programs must meet certain eligibility criteria for VOCA funding. July 1998; Free (FS 000208); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/factshts/casa.htm

This bulletin describes how close cooperation between tribal and federal law enforcement agencies ensures effective investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. Such cases often present a jurisdictional maze, a result of the difficulty of determining jurisdiction in the light of provisions for concurrent jurisdiction of certain cases. The Federal Government has undertaken a number of new initiatives to facilitate tribal and federal cooperation. September 1999; Free (NCJ 172877); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/tribal/tribalbult.htm

OVC has joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs to target family violence in Indian Country. OVC also collaborates with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address these issues. This fact sheet discusses efforts made as well as funding sources and recipients. August 1998; Free (FS 000212); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/factshts/childabu.htm

This 9-minute video was developed as a resource to help children ages 10 and up who must testify in federal court. Instructing children and their families about the court process builds confidence and reduces anxiety about testifying. The video should be used only after it has been determined that the child witness will testify in court. Its use should be supervised by an adult. September 1995; Free (NCJ 157156); OVC.

Children who are victims of crime or who witness violence often experience long-term consequences including posttraumatic stress disorder and other medical, mental health, and behavioral problems. This bulletin provides an overview of the impact that victimization or witnessing crimes has on children, summarizes current legislation and national programs that address the problem, and describes innovative programs that offer coordinated, multidisciplinary responses to children and improve support for children involved in the criminal justice process. Recommendations from the field to enhance services for child victims and witnesses are included. August 1998; Free (NCJ 172827); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/new/directions/pdftxt/bulletins/bltn18.pdf

This bulletin provides an overview of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse series, which was developed in response to requests from law enforcement jurisdictions across the United States for guidelines on investigating child abuse and neglect. Currently, 13 guides are in the series, and each addresses a specific aspect of investigating a suspected case of child abuse or neglect. February 2000; Free (NCJ 178893); OJJDP.
www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/jjbul2000_02_3/contents.html

This report by the President’s Child Safety Partnership identifies and addresses issues in child victimization in the United States, offering recommendations for how the private sector, parents, concerned citizens, and governmental agencies at every level can increase child safety. 1987; Available through the OVCRC Document Loan Program or the OVCRC Photocopying Service (NCJ 106484); OVC.

This research preview bulletin presents preliminary findings from a study of 4,023 adolescents and their parents. The findings indicate that a significant number of today’s youth have been victims of sexual and physical abuse and have personally witnessed incidents of violence against others. For many, consequences of these experiences include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug and alcohol abuse. Preliminary findings point to the significance of personal victimization as a risk factor for major mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuse as a means of coping with PTSD, and substance abuse as a precursor of delinquent behavior. The study is part of the National Survey of Adolescents, a household survey sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and conducted by the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. April 1997; Free (FS 000179); NIJ.
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/fs000179.pdf

This video series highlights the special needs of children who are victims of violence or witnesses to crime and relays steps the criminal justice system can take to alleviate children’s fears. The video series consists of Responding to Child Victims and Witnesses: Promising Partnerships To Improve Case Outcomes (NCJ 181500), Responding to Child Victims and Witnesses: Innovative Practices for Law Enforcement( NCJ 181501), Responding to Child Victims and Witnesses: Innovative Practices for Prosecutors( NCJ 181504), and Responding to Child Victims and Witnesses: Innovative Practices in the Courtroom(NCJ 181505). A resource guide, Responding to Child Victims and Witnesses: Innovative Practices that Work (NCJ 181506), contains discussion guides for each videotape highlighting the devastating effects of violence on children. October 2000; Free; OVC.

Data in this report are based on reports from law enforcement agencies in 12 states and cover the years 1991 through 1996. Sexual assault is discussed in four categories: forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling. Findings include statistics on the incidence of sexual assault, the victims, the offenders, gender, response to these crimes, locality and time of incident, the levels of victim injury, victims’ perceptions of offenders’ ages, victim-offender relationships, and other detailed characteristics. July 2000; Free (NCJ 182990); BJS.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/saycrle.pdf

Through the voices, artwork, and writings of children, this 9-minute video conveys how child victims experience violence in their lives. The video helps viewers understand, from a child’s viewpoint, the trauma children experience when they have been victims of abuse, have witnessed violence in the streets, or have seen their mothers beaten by their fathers. Experts in child development and mental health services for child victims explain the impact of exposure to violence on children and discuss the critical steps that lead to recovery. The video can be used in training sessions or discussion groups to raise awareness of the needs of child victims and witnesses. November 1999; $10.50 in the United States; $26 outside the United States (NCJ 178229); OVC.

This 13-minute video opens with a dramatization of federal law enforcement agents knocking on the door of a house to execute a search warrant. A young girl answers the door and says that she is the only one home. The agents ask her to let them enter the house, and she does so. They discover no adults at home, and the girl indicates she has been alone for days. The agents find a baby in a crib in one room whose diapers have not been changed for a long time. Furthermore, no food is found in the house. The dramatization closes as one agent asks another, “What should we do?” The question is answered through interviews with federal law enforcement administrators and child-protection workers as well as instructional narration. 1996; Free (NCJ 167245); OVC.

Written by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child, this guide contains their advice about what you can expect when your child is missing, what you can do, and where you can go for help. May 1998; Free (NCJ 170222); OJJDP. Also available in Spanish (March 2000; Free; NCJ 178902).
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/170022.pdf
Spanish version: www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/178902.pdf

This 27-minute video provides a discussion of the effects on children of a loved one’s violent death. The video contains interviews with children who have lost a loved one through violence and offers suggestions on coping with loss. June 1997; Free; limited copies available (NCJ 165927); OVC.

This guidebook is a companion piece to the Working with Grieving Children video. It serves as a quick reference and how-to guide for victim assistance professionals in their work with parents, schoolteachers, counselors, clergy members, and others as they address the needs of grieving children. April 2000; Free with video, limited copies available (NCJ 165814); OVC.

This publication is a train-the-trainer instructor’s guide and a companion piece to Working with Grieving Children After Violent Death: A Guidebook for Crime Victim Assistance Professionals and its accompanying three-part video, both published by the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). This instructor’s guide is designed to train victim advocates, particularly those who work with families in the aftermath of a violent death. The document provides the instructor with complete information and directions for conducting a 4-day training course. April 2000; Free (NCJ 178939); OVC.