In this 2003 report for the State of California Governor’s Office Of Criminal Justice Planning, the report expresses significant concerns about child abductions. The appears to be in contrast to what NCMEC officials have stated recently.The report also supports the need for timely accurate statistics for each state. California currently, provides timely data to the public.
The California Child Abduction Task Force identified common misconceptions and problematic issues related to child abduction. The following significant concerns are highlighted:
1. Child abduction is not uniformly considered to include both family and non-family abductions.
2. Child abduction by a family member is often perceived by law enforcement to present minimal risks to the child since the abducted child is with a family member.
3. Family child abduction cases present a high potential for physical injury and emotional trauma to the child, and are often considered to be civil cases when these should be considered criminal cases.
4. There are cases of homicide, suicide, and sexual assault, which began as child abductions, but were never recognized as cases of abduction and, consequently, were not reported as such.
5. Family abductions occurring within domestic violence situations often go unreported.
6. Current statistics do not adequately reflect the number of child abduction cases since incidents are often reported as “other types of crimes” that are not entered by law enforcement agencies, or are recorded as only “missing child” reports.
7. Law enforcement response time for family-related child abduction is generally given a lower priority when compared to the higher priority given to a non-family abduction.
8. There are no standardized law enforcement guidelines that include an objective assessment of the risk to the child, whether the abduction is by a family or non-family abductor.
9. The serious emotional and/or physical trauma of child abduction is often minimized and not viewed as child abuse.
10. Criminal sentencing often does not reflect the seriousness of the crime of family abduction.
11. Since there are no standardized approaches or “best practices” there is no uniformity as to how law enforcement should respond, or for district attorneys to prosecute child abduction cases.
12. All local, state, national, and international child abduction resources and assistance should be identified and maintained on a statewide system. (Internet capabilities could enhance this possibility.)
13. There is a need for an ongoing multidisciplinary task force to address the prevention, education, location, recovery, and reunification of abducted children.
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