The purpose of the new initiative, according to Gonzales, is to “protect our children as they navigate the Internet.”
Citing a growth in the use of the Internet as a way for predators to connect with children, Gonzales said the initiative would make it easier for law enforcement to respond to “enticement crimes” — where adults use online tools to locate and meet potential victims.
According to government statistics, federal prosecutors brought nearly 1,500 child pornography cases to trial in 2005. In 2006, Gonzales said the Justice Department would give more than $14 million to the Internet Crimes Against Children program, which runs 46 regional task forces funded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs.
“Although progress has been made, a more coordinated partnership involving the state, local and federal law enforcement entities and non-profits involved in Internet safety and the prevention of child exploitation is needed,” Gonzales said in an official statement.
As such, the new initiative aims to enhance communication and partnership protocols between U.S. Attorneys, ICAC Task Forces and other federal, state and local law enforcement officials.
Attorneys, for example, will partner with regional ICAC Task Forces and other federal, state and local law enforcement partners to implement Project Safe Childhood. Collaborative efforts will include strategic plans to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of child exploitation crimes, Gonzales said.
“The Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, in conjunction with the FBI’s Innocent Images Unit, will fully integrate the Project Safe Childhood Task Forces into pursuing local leads generated from its major national operations,” Gonzales said.
The Attorney General made clear that the goal of the new initiative was to increase the number of successfully prosecuted child porn cases.
“U.S. Attorneys and the federal investigative agencies will be expected to increase the number of sexual exploitation investigations and prosecutions,” he said. “The goal is to ensure the worst offenders get the maximum amount of jail time possible.”
Additional elements of the new initiative also include increased training for law enforcement and community awareness and educational programs.
Joan Irvine, executive director for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection, told XBiz she was hopeful the new initiative would do what Gonzales claimed.
“[The ASACP] hopes that the Justice Department’s strategy of coordinating the federal, state and local responses will lead to more effective investigation and prosecution of these heinous crimes,” Irvine said. “We also are gratified that the initiative includes increased public awareness and education efforts, which are vital in order to help parents and children understand the potential dangers in chat rooms and online communities — and that the predators aren’t lurking on adult sites, but non-adult chatrooms and on mainstream sites like MySpace.”
The full fact sheet on the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative can be read here.