FEDERAL AGENCY:

OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

AUTHORIZATION:

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, Title IV, Public Law 93-415, as amended.

To coordinate Federal missing and exploited children activities and to support research, training, technical assistance, and demonstration programs to enhance the overall response to missing children and their families. Establish and maintain a national resource center and clearinghouse dedicated to missing and exploited children issues that: 1) provides a toll-free hotline where citizens can report investigative leads and parents and other interested individuals can receive information concerning missing children; 2) provides technical assistance to parents, law enforcement, and other professionals working on missing and exploited children cases; 3) promotes information sharing and provides technical assistance by networking with regional nonprofit organizations, State missing children clearinghouses, and law enforcement agencies; 4) develops publications that contain practical, timely information; and 5) provides information regarding programs offering free or low-cost transportation services that assist in reuniting children with their families. On a periodic basis, conduct national incidence studies to determine the type and extent of missing children in America. Support law enforcement demonstration programs (e.g., the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program) to enhance the investigative response to missing and exploited children cases. Support research to broaden understanding of a wide range of missing and exploited children issues (e.g., abduction homicide investigation solvability factors), to inform training and technical assistance efforts and to identify promising practices and programs for replication. Develop training programs for law enforcement, child protective services, medical personnel, and prosecutors to enhance coordination and effectiveness of missing and exploited children investigations and to enhance the overall system response. Identify service gaps and develop programs to meet specialized needs of parents or guardians of children who are reported missing. Provide a national central registry and toll-free hotline service to assist community organizations and law enforcement personnel to identify and return adults suffering from Alzheimer's disease who have wandered from home. Provide training, technical assistance, and publications to enhance community wide responses to wandering incidents by memory impaired adults.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:

The Administrator is authorized to make grants to and enter into contracts with public agencies or private nonprofit organizations, or combinations thereof, for research, demonstration projects, or service programs designed (1) to educate parents, children, and community agencies and organizations in ways to prevent the abductions and sexual exploitation of children; (2) to provide information to assist in the locating and return of missing children; (3) to aid communities in the collection of materials which would be useful to parents in assisting others in the identification of missing children; (4) to increase knowledge of and develop effective treatment pertaining to the psychological consequences, on both parents and children, of (a) the abduction of a child, both during the period of disappearance and after the child is recovered; and (b) the sexual exploitation of a missing child; (5) to collect detailed data from selected States or localities on the actual investigative practices utilized by law enforcement agencies in missing children's cases; (6) to address the particular needs of missing children by minimizing the negative impact of judicial and law enforcement procedures on children who are victims of abuse or sexual exploitation and by promoting the active participation of children and their families in cases involving abuse or sexual exploitation of children; (7) to address the needs of missing children and their families following the recovery of such children; and (8) reduce the likelihood that individuals under 18 years of age will be removed from the control of such individuals legal custodians without such custodians' consent; (9) and to establish or operate statewide clearinghouses to assist in recovering or locating missing children.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:   Missing Children's funds are available under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to public and private nonprofit agencies, organizations, individuals, State and local units of government, combinations of State or local units.

Beneficiary Eligibility:   State and local units of government, private nonprofit agencies, organizations, institutions or individuals.

Credentials/Documentation:   Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular Nos. A-87 for State and local governments and A-122 for nonprofit organizations.

Pre-application Coordination:   In carrying out the programs authorized by the Missing Children's Assistance Act, the OJJDP Administrator establishes annual research, demonstration, and service program priorities for grants and contracts and the criteria based on merit for making such grants and contracts. The proposed priorities and selection criteria are published in the Federal Register for public comment for a period of 60 days prior to final adoption. Grants and contracts exceeding $50,000 must be made by competitive process. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:   Applicant submits proposal on Standard Form 424. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 110 and the Common Rule. Proposals must be prepared and submitted in accordance with program announcements published in the Federal Register.

Award Procedure:   Award package is sent to the grantee.

Deadlines:   Published in program announcements or requests for proposals.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:   From 1 to 3 months.

Appeals:   See 28 CFR Part 18.

Renewals:   Supplemental grants or contract modification.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:   No match required.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:   Initial awards usually are made for 12 to 36 months with further funding based upon the project period and grantee performance. Drawdowns are possible under a Letter of Credit.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:   Quarterly and final financial and progress reports are required.

Audits:   All organizations that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for that year in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, unless the audit condition on the award says otherwise. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency not later than 9 months after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.

Records:   Grantee must keep complete records on the disposition of funds.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

Account Identification:   15-0401-0-1-754.

Obligations:   (Grants) FY 01 $21,346,220; FY 02 est $28,631,237; and FY 03 est $28,997,000.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:   Not applicable.

Accomplishments in fiscal year 2001 included development of Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Operational and Investigative Standards to facilitate interagency case referrals between State and local law enforcement agencies through the standardization of investigative practices, and completion of an assessment with recommendations to enhance the Federal government response to international parental abductions. OJJDP broadened the coverage of the ICAC Task Force program to 36 States and created the Investigative Satellite Initiative to create investigative and forensic capacity in law enforcement agencies lacking the personnel resources to commit full time to task forces. Agencies participation in the Program have made more than 800 arrests, seized approximately 900 computers, and have reached thousands of children, parents, and educators with information about safe online procedures. In FY 2001, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) toll-free hotline received more than 100,000 calls from parents, law enforcement, prosecutors and citizens seeking assistance or asking for information regarding missing children issues. In FY 01, NCMEC also disseminated thousands of publications and provided training to more than 560 law enforcement officers and prosecutors regarding online crime against children and child protection issues. NCMEC's Cyber Tipline has received over 65,000 reports of child pornography and child sexual exploitation with over 23,000 of those in FY 01. NCMEC continues to receive hundreds of hits on their web page each day. Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) continues to work with OJJDP and NCMEC on conducting specialized training for law enforcement and other professionals on missing and exploited children issues. In FY 2001, FVTC trained approximately 11,000 professionals on these topics under the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Center. Awards in 2001 included: 12 new awards under the ICAC Task Force Program and continuation of the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center (JRLETC); National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC); Fox Valley Technical College (FVTV); FBI Criminal Justice Information Service to support the national Crime Information Center (NCIC); the FBI Child Abduction Serial Killer Unit (CASKU) to assist in the investigation of difficult cases; the Alzheimer's Diseases and Related Disorders Association; and training for nonprofit organizations State clearinghouses, public and private professionals serving missing children.

REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:

Missing Children program priorities are published in the Federal Register and awards are governed by the OJP Financial Guide which is available upon request.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:   None.

Headquarters Office:   Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20531. Telephone: (202) 616-3637.

Web Site Address:   http://www.usdoj.gov.

EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:

In fiscal year 2001, OJJDP made 12 new awards to State and local law enforcement agencies to develop regional task forces to prevent, interdict, or investigate crimes against children by sex offenders using the Internet. Additional awards supported the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children national resource center and clearinghouse functions, development of the CyberTipline, and continuation of the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center. Other awards supported research to broaden understanding of individuals who abduct and murder children and to assist law enforcement investigate sexually-motivated abduction murders of children. OJJDP supported training and technical assistance programs to provide assistance to State clearinghouses, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other individuals or community organizations working on missing and exploited children issues.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:

Applications are judged according to their consistency with the policies and program priorities established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Specific criteria are applied that are related to the particular program areas under which projects are funded.