Federal Statutes Relating to Crimes Against Children

We exercise jurisdiction and investigative responsibilities pursuant to the following federal statutes pertaining to various crimes against children.

1) Follow the links for summaries from the Federal Criminal Code and Rules under Title 18 of the United States Code. Federal law defines a "minor" as a child under the age of 18 unless specified otherwise.

2) The following is a summary from the Federal Criminal Code and Rules under Title 42 of the United States Code.

3) 108 Public Law 21. PROTECT Act.

One of the recent changes to several federal statutes relating to crimes against children is the PROTECT Act which was signed into law on April 30, 2003. This Act was originally known for creating a nationwide AMBER Alert system. However, it did much more, including increasing penalties for certain convictions. Read the full Act for additional details.

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