Using Agency Records To Find Missing Children: A Guide for Law
.
Enforcement



Program Summary



------------------------------



Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention



The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP) was established by the President

and Congress through the Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, Public

Law 93-415, as amended. Located within the Office

of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of

Justice, OJJDP's goal is to provide national

leadership in addressing the issues of juvenile

delinquency and improving juvenile justice.



OJJDP sponsors a broad array of research, program,

and training initiatives to improve the juvenile

justice system as a whole, as well as to benefit

individual youth-serving agencies. These

initiatives are carried out by seven components

within OJJDP, described below.



Research and Program Development Division develops

knowledge on national trends in juvenile

delinquency; supports a program for data collection

and information sharing that incorporates elements

of statistical and systems development; identifies

how delinquency develops and the best methods for

its prevention, intervention, and treatment; and

analyzes practices and trends in the juvenile

justice system.



Training and Technical Assistance Division provides

juvenile justice training and technical assistance

to Federal, State, and local governments; law

enforcement, judiciary, and corrections personnel;

and private agencies, educational institutions, and

community organizations.



Special Emphasis Division provides discretionary

funds to public and private agencies,

organizations, and individuals to replicate tested

approaches to delinquency prevention, treatment,

and control in such pertinent areas as chronic

juvenile offenders, community-based sanctions, and

the disproportionate representation of minorities

in the juvenile justice system.



State Relations and Assistance Division supports

collaborative efforts by States to carry out the

mandates of the JJDP Act by providing formula grant

funds to States; furnishing technical assistance to

States, local governments, and private agencies;

and monitoring State compliance with the JJDP Act.



Information Dissemination Unit informs individuals

and organizations of OJJDP initiatives;

disseminates information on juvenile justice,

delinquency prevention, and missing children; and

coordinates program planning efforts within OJJDP.

The unit's activities include publishing research

and statistical reports, bulletins, and other

documents, as well as overseeing the operations of

the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse. 



Concentration of Federal Efforts Program promotes

interagency cooperation and coordination among

Federal agencies with responsibilities in the area

of juvenile justice. The program primarily carries

out this responsibility through the Coordinating

Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, an independent body within the

executive branch that was established by Congress

through the JJDP Act.



Missing and Exploited Children Program seeks to

promote effective policies and procedures for

addressing the problem of missing and exploited

children. Established by the Missing Children's

Assistance Act of 1984, the program provides funds

for a variety of activities to support and

coordinate a network of resources such as the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children;

training and technical assistance to a network of

47 State clearinghouses, nonprofit organizations,

law enforcement personnel, and attorneys; and

research and demonstration programs.



The mission of OJJDP is to provide national

leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent

juvenile victimization and respond appropriately to

juvenile delinquency. This is accomplished through

developing and implementing prevention programs and

a juvenile justice system that protects the public

safety, holds juvenile offenders accountable, and

provides treatment and rehabilitative services

based on the needs of each individual juvenile.



------------------------------



Using Agency Records To Find Missing Children: A

Guide for Law Enforcement



Program Summary



Marianne Takas, Project Director



Deborah Bass, Research Director



A Joint Project of the American Bar Association

Center on Children and the Law and the National

Association of Social Workers  



Shay Bilchik, Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention



March 1996



This document was prepared under grant number 93-

MC-CX-0001 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of

Justice.



Points of view or opinions expressed in this

document are those of the authors and do not

necessarily represent the official position or

policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of

Justice.



The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice

Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice

Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the

National Institute of Justice, and the Office for

Victims of Crime.



Foreword



While technological advances and public awareness

campaigns can aid in the recovery of children who

are abducted or have run away, they are a poor

substitute for the time-tested techniques of police

investigative work, in which attention to detail

may spell the critical difference as to whether a

missing child is found.



Derived from Addressing Confidentiality of Records

in Searches for Missing Children, a study conducted

by the American Bar Association and the National

Association of Social Workers, Using Agency Records

to Find Missing Children: A Guide for Law

Enforcement arms law enforcement officers with

practical information on how to use agency records

in the recovery of missing children. Such records

may come from child welfare agencies, schools,

medical care providers, and--under special

circumstances--from runaway and domestic violence

shelters.



The guide addresses mandated and voluntary access

to children's records and discusses matters related

to State and Federal laws, including

confidentiality and record-flagging. The use of a

standard parental consent form to expand access to

a child's records is recommended and described, and

a sample form is provided.



A checklist beginning with the initial interview

with the reporting parent details steps that should

be taken by police to secure records that may prove

useful in a child's recovery.



It is my hope that the tools and techniques offered

in this guide will assist law enforcement

professionals in locating and returning our

children to a safe and secure environment.



Shay Bilchik

Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention 



------------------------------



Acknowledgments



This publication is derived from a study of law,

policy, and practice by the American Bar

Association Center on Children and the Law (ABA)

and the National Association of Social Workers

(NASW), sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Grateful

acknowledgment is made to the many individuals and

agencies contributing to this report, in

particular: Marianne Takas, ABA, Project Director

and author; Deborah Bass, NASW, Research Director;

Pam Camarrata, OJJDP, Project Officer; Loan Huynh,

University of Houston Law Center; Howard Davidson,

Patricia Hoff, Linda Girdner, and Noy Davis, ABA;

Leila Whiting, Doretta Richards, and Evelyn

Tomaszewski, NASW; and the law enforcement and

other professionals on our Technical Advisory

Panel.



------------------------------



Table of Contents



Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

 Service providers as resources

 Using this guide

Parental consent

Parental abduction

Schools

 School registration

 Prior schools

 Flagging laws

 Using birth certificate registries

 Finding the child's new school

Medical care providers

 Hospital records

 Possible access problems

Child welfare agencies

 Legal access to records

 The reporting parent

 Prior child welfare agency

 New child welfare agency

 Private child welfare agencies

Runaway shelters

 Legal responsibilities

 Parental notification

 Parental abuse

 Youth crime

Domestic violence shelters

 Legal protection of shelter client confidentiality

 Gaining the cooperation of shelter staff and clients

 The role of interagency committees

Interagency committees

 M/CAP assistance

 Access to records

A checklist

Notes



------------------------------



Introduction



One mid-August morning, several teenagers took a

train from their suburban neighborhood into a

nearby city. While downtown, one of the group, who

was mentally retarded, was given money by the

others and sent home. Unfortunately, the boy became

lost. The boy's father promptly contacted his local

police. A few weeks later, city police discovered

the boy, who was unable to identify himself.

Unaware that a nearby police agency was seeking

him, the officers took the boy to a children's

center within the city. Tragically, he spent nearly

8 months in the center before being located.1



Law enforcement agents can take several steps to

more readily find and identify children who have

been abducted by strangers or family members, have

run away, or are lost or otherwise missing. The boy

described above was finally located when staff at

the children's center where the boy was staying saw

him in an advertisement sponsored by the National

Center for Missing and Exploited Children.2 A

quicker method would have been for police searching

for the boy to report the child's disappearance to

the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

computerized Missing Persons File, and for the

police who found and could not identify him to

report to the NCIC computerized Unidentified

Persons File.3 Had each done so promptly, it is

likely that the child could have been identified

and located by a computerized data match. 



Service providers as resources 



Police search techniques are crucial. Computerized

networks and media campaigns cannot replace

traditional police investigative work. In the case

described, the assigned officer could have found

the child quickly by seeking information from local

agencies, including the local children's center.

This route--obtaining information from human

service providers--is the focus of this guide. 



While agencies that serve children and families can

be a valuable resource in helping officers find

missing children, issues of client confidentiality

and other agency concerns may limit the willingness

of agencies to share information voluntarily. In

such situations, effective legal procedures for

obtaining information are essential.



Using this guide 



This guide will help law enforcement officers

obtain and use the records of certain types of

human service providers to find missing children.

Record use, access, barriers, and limitations for

the following types of providers are discussed:



o Schools.



o Medical care providers.



o Child welfare agencies.



o Runaway shelters.



o Domestic violence shelters.



The guide contains information and ideas to help

increase access to records, even in States without

specific laws guaranteeing such access. Both

mandated and voluntary access are discussed, and

Federal laws are noted when relevant. Procedures

relating to common types of State laws, such as

record flagging and confidentiality laws, are

discussed. The guide was developed from Addressing

Confidentiality of Records in Searches for Missing

Children, a study conducted by the American Bar

Association Center on Children and the Law and the

National Association of Social Workers. The full

143-page report on that study, including research

on relevant laws, agency policies, and agency

attitudes regarding record access, is available

from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse. A

66-page companion document, Listing and Description

of State Laws Affecting Record Access in Missing

Children Cases is also available through the

Clearinghouse in hard copy and electronically. For

information on obtaining copies of these

publications, see the order form at the end of the

Summary. 
Parental consent



By law or agency policy, parents have access to

many records concerning their children. In many

cases, parents have a right to see or obtain copies

of records even when law enforcement officers do

not. For this reason, parental consent forms may

help police gain access to many agency records. 



Parental consent forms allow parents who report

missing children to extend to law enforcement the

rights that they may have to school, hospital, or

other agency records concerning their children.

Properly drafted, the forms grant to law

enforcement officials the access rights that

parents have.



A standard parental consent form should be

developed by the law enforcement agency. It should:



o Be written in clear, simple language

understandable to most parents.



o Include all types of records law enforcement may

use.



o Be translated, if possible, into languages common

within the local community. 



It may be useful to draw on community service

agencies and interagency committees in developing

the consent form. For example, schools may have a

form for parents to obtain their children's student

records, and hospitals may have a form for

obtaining medical records. These can be adapted,

but the law enforcement form should be general

enough for use in other States since the search may

cross State lines.



A sample form, which can be adapted to fit local

needs, appears on the next page. It covers all

types of records discussed in this guide except

records for runaway shelters and shelters for

battered women. Included are records from mental

health providers and an "any other agency"

category. 



The investigating officer should have the reporting

parent complete and sign the consent form during

the initial interview. The officer should list: 



o Schools the child has attended.



o Recent medical or mental health providers.



o Information regarding past child welfare

services.



o Information about past incidents of running away.



o Information on past incidents of domestic

violence. 



This should be standard law enforcement agency

policy in all missing child cases.



Parental abduction 



In parental abduction cases, verification of

custodial status is standard law enforcement

procedure, primarily to determine whether a crime

has been committed. The National Center on Missing

and Exploited Children recommends that the

investigating officer in a parental abduction case

verify custodial status by obtaining a certified

copy of the most recent custody order from the

clerk of the issuing court.4 



Verification of custodial status serves an

important function in making records accessible. If

the reporting parent has or obtains custody of the

child, it may be easier to gain access to agency

records based on that parent's consent. On

occasion, this is due to laws that provide record

access to custodial parents only. More commonly, it

is because agency policy or informal custom gives

greater access to custodial parents.



If a parent has abducted a child, the child's new

school, health care providers, and others serving

the family may have an established relationship

with that parent. If they receive a request for

copies of the child's records, even from law

enforcement, they may automatically seek permission

from the parent they know. Knowing that they need

parental consent to release records, they may even

think they are legally required to contact that

parent before releasing the records. Such contact

could cause the abducting parent to flee again. To

reduce this risk, the investigating officer should:



o Emphasize to agency staff the importance of not

contacting the abducting parent.



o Supply the agency with the consent to release

records from the reporting parent.



o If the reporting parent is the custodial parent,

provide documentation to that effect.



o Advise the agency of any State laws that prohibit

the agency from providing the abducting parent with

such information.



Schools



Schools are a prime source of information about

missing children. All children under a

State-defined age (commonly 16) are required by law

to attend school. School registration and transfer

procedures may provide a paper trail to track a

missing child. 



School registration 



When a child is registered in a public school for

the first time, the child's name, age, and

residence must be established. Generally, the

person registering the child must supply at least a

copy of the child's birth certificate and

documentation of the family's address. 



Schools may also require a vaccination record. Many

schools also require documentation such as a

custody decree or award of guardianship if the

person registering the child is not the child's

parent. Such documentation is needed to show that

the child is the legal responsibility of the person

registering the child. 



When an older child is registered in a new public

school, name, age, and residence must again be

documented. Most schools also require that school

records be forwarded from the child's previous

school. Typically, the new school will request the

name and address of the school most recently

attended and will contact that school to have the

child's records forwarded. 



Private schools may or may not require

documentation similar to the typical public school

procedures described above, and some children may

be schooled at home. Typically, State law requires

even home-schooled children to be registered with a

public or private school, which provides oversight.

Yet even some public schools, when exercising this

oversight authority, may have less rigid

registration procedures.



Prior schools 



The school a child attended prior to becoming

missing is a key resource in locating the child.

First, school records may contain clues as to where

a child may have gone or been taken. A runaway may

have been repeatedly truant from school in the

company of friends who may now know the youth's

whereabouts. A parent who later abducts the child

may have made promises or threats to the child

about moving to a specific location, which the

child in turn told a teacher or counselor.



The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy

Act (FERPA) requires schools receiving Federal

funding to give parents access to their children's

student records, with limited exceptions. The

investigating officer, after obtaining written

parental consent, can use that form to obtain a

copy of the child's recent school records.

Alternatively, the parent may obtain a copy and

supply it to the officer.



When a child is enrolled in a new school, most

public schools and many private schools contact the

prior school for past school records or require the

enrolling parent to do so. Law enforcement agents

can make sure that when such a request is received

by the prior school, they are promptly notified.



Flagging laws



In fact, many States have flagging laws that

require public schools (and, in some States,

private schools) to do just that. Typically,

flagging laws provide that:



o Once a school is notified that a former student

is missing, school officials must let law

enforcement know of any future requests for that

child's student records, without advising the party

requesting the records that this is being done.



o When a child is enrolled in a new school, school

officials must obtain records directly from the

prior school. If the enrolling parent fails or

refuses to provide the name and location of the

prior school, school officials must notify law

enforcement. 



Flagging laws help clarify and establish school

responsibilities to assist law enforcement. In

States without flagging laws, cooperation by the

school is permitted but not required by law (except

if made mandatory by use of a subpoena or court

order). 



Whether or not there is a State flagging law,

police can obtain information from the prior

school. The investigating officer should:



o Notify the principal of the child's former school

that the child is missing and request an immediate

interview.



o Ask that anyone else at the school who may

receive and process requests for the forwarding of

student records join in the interview.



o Explain that the investigating officer should be

notified immediately of any recent or future

requests for the student's records, and that the

requesting party should not be informed that law

enforcement is being contacted.



o Request information on necessary school

procedures for formalizing the law enforcement

request, and follow them carefully.



o Obtain agreement that the notification requested

will be made.



o Verify that the student's record is flagged to

ensure that it will not be inadvertently forwarded

without a law enforcement notification. The

flagging notation should be physically attached to

the record, or written on an envelope containing

the record, but not marked in such a way that a

forwarded copy of the record will show the

notation.



o If there is a State flagging law, advise the

principal and any other relevant school officials

of its requirements. 



If a record request is subsequently received, the

school need not refuse to forward the student's

record. In fact, if the abductor, attempting to

enroll a child in a new school, learns that the old

school is refusing to forward records, he or she

might flee again. To avoid this risk, the school

should immediately notify the investigating officer

of any request for the records and then forward the

record without comment. 



Quick law enforcement action is key to using record

flagging effectively. The old school must be

contacted as soon as the child is reported missing,

or an abducting parent may obtain records in person

before the flagging request is made. Moreover, when

the old school reports that the records have been

requested, immediate action must be taken to locate

the child through the new school, before the

abductor flees again. 



Using birth certificate registries 



A birth certificate may be needed to enroll the

child in school or to obtain certain government

benefits such as welfare. Some States have laws

requiring birth certificate registries to

participate in flagging records and in notifying

law enforcement of copy requests. Typically, birth

certificate flagging laws are an additional

provision in school record flagging laws. Birth

certificate flagging may be particularly important

in finding a younger child who did not attend

school before being abducted. 



The procedures outlined for school record flagging

should be adapted and used for birth certificate

flagging as well. If possible, the registry holding

the child's birth record should be approached

directly with the flagging request. 



Finding the child's new school 



The missing child may already be attending a new

school, which may or may not have requested past

school records. The new school may have failed to

request records through clerical error, because the

person enrolling the child supplied previously

obtained or forged records, or because of unusual

school registration policies. Even so,

investigators may still be able to locate a missing

child through the child's new school. 



The National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children has access to a regularly updated computer

listing of public school students nationwide. The

name and birthdate of a missing child may be

matched against this data base to determine if the

child is enrolled in school under his own or a

similar name. This is one of several types of

technical assistance available in cases opened with

the Center.5



The computer listing supplements but does not

replace police investigative work. The child's name

or birthdate may have been altered or may fail to

appear in the computerized listing for other

reasons. 



An investigator who believes that a missing child

may have been taken to a certain State can contact

the State board of education to check whether the

child is attending a school there. When clues

indicate a specific city, the investigator can

contact the local school board or even individual

schools. 



The more specific the request, the better the

chance of identifying the child. The child's name

may have been changed, but the school may be able

to respond to photos or descriptions to identify

the child. The State board of education may be able

to help by sending a request with pictures to all

public schools of the child's grade level. 



New school records. The new school should be able

to help locate the child, even if the child is no

longer attending. FERPA has provisions that will

allow school officials to help locate missing or

abducted children without a subpoena or court

order. 



Frequently, verification of the child's name,

school enrollment, and address is all that is

needed for location purposes. FERPA allows the

general dissemination of this information as

nonconfidential "directory information." Parental

consent is not needed, although there is a

procedure by which parents can ask the school in

advance not to release the information.



If the child is no longer at the address shown by

school records, other information can be obtained.

For example, the school record may include

emergency contact information which could help in

finding the child. There may be information about a

new school the child is now attending. A school

counselor may have talked with the child about

possible plans to move. 



If record information beyond basic directory

information is needed, FERPA requires the school to

obtain a release from a parent before allowing this

access. In these cases, obtaining the consent form

from the reporting parent will be crucial. The

investigating officer should:



o Learn and follow all appropriate school

procedures for requesting records.



o Make a personal contact with the principal or

other top official.



o Emphasize to school officials the importance of

not contacting the person they have known as the

parent, informing them of any relevant State laws

regarding cooperation with ongoing law enforcement

investigations.



o Provide the school with a copy of the written

consent from the reporting parent.



o If the reporting parent has custody, include a

copy of the latest custody order. 



Once the record copy is obtained, leads should be

pursued immediately. It is important to find the

child before the abductor hears that the police are

talking to the school.



If, after all appropriate procedures have been

followed, local school officials do not cooperate

voluntarily, higher level contacts may be

necessary. To resolve an immediate problem, for

example, the chief of police may need to talk with

the superintendent of schools. It may also be

appropriate to seek a court order to obtain

cooperation. To work together well over the long

term, interagency committees may be useful (see

discussion beginning on page 17 for more on

interagency committees). 



Medical care providers



Hospitals, clinics, and other medical care

providers are a frequently overlooked resource in

searching for missing children. Runaway youth and

abducting adults may avoid many agencies, such as

counseling centers, youth or family shelters, and

even schools. Yet, in an emergency it may be

impossible to avoid medical care. 



The case history in the child's prior medical

record may contain clues as to where he or she may

have gone or been taken. If the child was treated

while missing, medical records may contain address

information, parent or abductor job information, or

other clues as to the child's whereabouts. Specific

medical information from any treating facility,

before or after the child became missing, may be

useful. Blood type, dental records, or unusual

physical characteristics, for example, can help in

identifying a child who was very young when

abducted and whose identity has been altered.



Access to medical records in missing children cases

is not defined by law in most States. Nonetheless,

law enforcement officers can take several steps to

maximize medical record use. When requesting

records from a hospital or other medical facility,

the investigating officer should follow that

facility's procedures for requesting medical

records. 



Parents ordinarily may obtain copies of their

children's medical records, although this is more

by professional custom than by law. As soon as a

child is reported missing, the reporting parent(s)

should be directed to obtain and supply to the

investigating officer copies of the child's medical

and dental records. Alternatively, the investigator

can obtain the records by use of the parental

consent form.



When patients are treated for serious long-term

medical conditions, many treating facilities seek

past medical records for reference. This creates an

opportunity for following a paper trail similar to

that created by school procedures for forwarding

school records. 



Whenever a child becomes missing, the investigating

officer should ask the reporting parent whether the

child has a serious medical condition requiring

regular treatment, such as, for example, allergies,

diabetes, kidney malfunction, or thyroid

malfunction. A primary reason is to assess the

danger to the child while away from regular medical

care. Additionally, the presence of such a

condition may create a tracing opportunity. 



Any physician who has recently treated the child

for the condition should be contacted by the

investigating officer and asked:



o To immediately notify the officer if records are

requested by another care provider.



o To not tell the other care provider that the

child is missing or that law enforcement has been

notified.



o To forward the records to the requester.



If the treatment was through a hospital or other

medical facility, medical record forwarding

requests may be handled by medical records

personnel. If so, the medical records director, not

the individual physician, should be contacted by

the officer. As with student records, the child's

medical record should be physically flagged with

instructions for notifying law enforcement.



A medical care provider who has provided regular

vaccinations to a preschool child should also be

contacted and asked to flag the child's medical

records. Since many schools require vaccination

records for children beginning kindergarten or

first grade, there may later be a request for this

information. 



Hospital records 



If a child is believed likely to be in a certain

city or area, the reporting parent or the

investigating officer can regularly contact the

local hospitals to determine if the child has been

treated. If the investigator makes these contacts,

the parental consent form should be used. 



Possible access problems 



Release of medical records is generally not covered

by Federal or State law. Most professions providing

medical care, however, have codes of ethics that

forbid them to betray patient confidences.

Unfortunately, these codes of ethics tend not to

define exactly what patient confidences include.

With the law silent and codes of ethics raising

confidentiality concerns, many care providers

hesitate to release records or information, or to

notify law enforcement of record forwarding

requests.



Even the consent form from the reporting parent, or

a request from that parent directly, may not be

effective. If the child is an older runaway, the

medical care provider may consider the child the

patient, with confidentiality concerns separate

from those of the parents. If a younger child is

brought for treatment by one parent (the abductor),

the care provider may consider the child and that

parent the clients whose privacy should be

protected. This may be especially true if the

abducting parent is also a patient of the same care

provider.



There are several ways to address this problem. If

a State has a law allowing law enforcement access

to medical records for an investigation or to

protect an endangered child, the investigator

should so advise the care provider. Unfortunately,

few States have such laws.



The investigating officer can also try to narrow

the request as much as possible. For example, the

fact that the child was seen, and the most recent

address given, may be all that is needed. Many care

providers who would not release private medical

information will release this limited information.

Codes of ethics only forbid releasing confidential

medical information, and it is hard to argue that

an address is confidential medical information. (If

the nature of the service provided is confidential,

however--as is the case for a clinic providing only

birth control, venereal disease treatment, and

abortions--the provider may assert that even

confirming that the child was seen would violate

confidentiality.)



In the case of record flagging requests, medical

providers should be reminded that they are not

being asked to reveal a patient confidence or an

observation about the patient. Rather, they are

simply being asked to report if a third party, such

as a doctor, a school, or the abductor, requests

the record. 



It may help to remind the care provider that

patient confidentiality is not absolute. A medical

provider who learns during a medical examination

that a child may have been abused, for example, is

required by law in every State to report the

information to the child welfare agency or law

enforcement or both. A missing child, who may be

endangered, is in a similar category.



Medical providers also do not want to be sued. A

provider who refuses to reveal information that

could help locate a missing child could be sued if

the child is later killed or injured while missing.

The investigator may need to remind the provider of

the possibility of later liability if information

is withheld.



Most medical care providers are aware of a leading

case in which a therapist and his employer were

held liable for failing to report information

gained from a counseling session. In that case,

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of

California,6 a client revealed during therapy his

plan to kill a particular person. There was no law

requiring therapists to report such threats, and

the therapist believed he had an ethical duty to

protect the client's confidences. The therapist did

not warn law enforcement or the intended victim.

Thereafter, the client did kill his intended

victim. The agency employing the therapist was

found liable for the therapist's failure to warn

the victim or law enforcement, on the grounds that

the known danger created a clear professional duty.



Finally, an investigating officer who has reason to

believe that a certain hospital has information

regarding a missing child can seek a subpoena or

court order.



Because law enforcement's access to medical records

is not well defined by law or policy in many

States, interagency committees representing law

enforcement and human service agencies may have a

role to play. Such committees can help define

shared goals, develop clear guidelines regarding

record access, and, if necessary, develop forms and

streamlined procedures for requesting records (see

discussion of interagency committees later in this

guide). 



Child welfare agencies



Every State has among its governmental departments

a public child welfare agency, which works to

protect children from abuse and neglect. The child

welfare agency receives and investigates complaints

of abuse or neglect of a child by a parent or other

caregiver, offers services to families to help them

address problems that may endanger children, and

provides foster or residential care for children

who cannot safely live at home. Typically, many

families are served under court-ordered protective

supervision by the agency, whether or not the

parents consent.



Child welfare agencies can be an important resource

in searching for missing children. Although these

agencies serve only a small percentage of the

families within any given State, the families they

serve are often multiproblem families. Families

with a history of abuse or neglect may be more

likely to have a child who runs away or is

abducted. A child who is abducted may later be

abused, neglected, or abandoned by the abductor. A

runaway may also later be exploited by a person

posing as a caretaker. For all these reasons, child

welfare agencies may have information about a

missing child.



Legal access to records 



Laws in most States have provisions regarding

information sharing between law enforcement and

child welfare agencies. While most such laws do not

specifically address missing children, they may

still allow access in such cases.



Typically, State laws recognize the private nature

of child welfare services and protect families

served by child welfare agencies against most

breaches of confidentiality. Law enforcement can

have access, however, under various specific

provisions. For example:



o In a few States, statutes specify that law

enforcement agents investigating missing children

cases are entitled to record access.



o Some States specify that law enforcement may have

access whenever a crime against a child is being

investigated. (An officer investigating the crime

of child abduction would therefore have access.)



o In many States, the child's parents are entitled

to receive a copy of most of the child welfare

agency record involving the child. The

investigating officer should use the parental

consent form to request records under this

provision.



o In most States, law enforcement officers

investigating possible criminal abuse or neglect

against a child have access to child welfare agency

records. An investigating officer who has reason to

believe that a child may have been abused or

neglected while missing could use these provisions.



The law governing access to child welfare agency

records is often broadly stated, with more specific

standards left to child welfare agency policy. In

those States, agency regulations or policy manuals

must be consulted to determine who may gain record

access. In almost every State, agency regulations

or policy control the procedure for requesting

records, including whom to contact.



The reporting parent 



When a child is reported missing, whether by

abduction or running away, an important first step

in investigation is meeting with the reporting

parent(s). Experienced investigators know that this

interview must touch on many sensitive family

matters to obtain workable leads in finding the

child. Among these sensitive issues are whether the

family has been receiving services from the local

child welfare agency and whether there are reasons

to believe that an abducting family member might

later abuse, neglect, or abandon the child. These

issues should be explored late in the interview

session, when trust and rapport may be better

established. 



Possibly, questions will flow naturally from other

issues that arise. For example, a parent who is

asked why a child may have run away may describe a

family fight involving physical violence. A

reporting parent describing an abducting parent may

state concerns for the child's safety based on past

incidents of abuse. In either case, the

investigator may ask:



o Whether the family has received any services to

help solve the problem.



o Whether the reporting parent has ever reported

the problem to the local child welfare agency.



o Whether the parent knows if anyone has ever made

a report to the child welfare agency.



In talking with parents, investigators should be

aware that the official name of the local child

welfare agency may not be the name by which it is

known in the community. It may be known by initials

(such as DSS), a shortened name (such as Family

Services), or a generic term (the welfare people).

Miscommunication can be avoided by learning and

using the vocabulary familiar within the community.



Prior child welfare agency 



If a family has recently received services from the

local child welfare agency, agency records may

contain clues as to where the child is now. The

investigating officer should be able to obtain

record information by one of these routes:



o The officer has written consent from the

reporting parent (and State law allows record

access to parent).



o The officer is investigating possible abuse and

neglect of the child, as well as seeking to find

the child (and State law allows access for

investigations of criminal abuse or neglect).



o The officer is seeking a missing child (and State

law allows access on this basis).



In rare cases, a subpoena or court order may be

needed.



If the family has received services for a long

period of time, the record may be extremely large.

If agency policy will allow the officer to view the

original record, copying only relevant portions,

this may be useful. Another strategy may be to

specify what information is needed and ask the

agency staff to supply it from the record.



New child welfare agency 



In some cases, the child has been abducted by a

parent or other known person, and case history

suggests that the child may be abused or neglected

while in the care of the abductor. If there is also

reason to believe that the abductor may have chosen

a certain State--for example, past ties to the

State, or expressed intention--it may be

appropriate to find out if the child has become

known to the child welfare agency in that State. If

the agency can supply the child's current address,

access to the entire record will not be needed to

locate the child. To gain information quickly,

investigators may wish to start with this narrow

request. 



Even if the entire record is needed, access to the

child welfare agency record may be clearly

justified under law. As stated above, most States

allow record access to law enforcement officers

investigating possible criminal abuse or neglect of

the child. If a child has been abducted and there

is reason to believe the child may also be being

abused or neglected by the abductor, it is

appropriate to extend the investigation to include

possible crimes against the child during the

abduction period. 



Private child welfare agencies 



In many States, some services to families under

child welfare agency supervision are provided

through private child welfare agencies such as

Catholic Charitable Bureau, Jewish Family and

Children Services, or other local agencies. Such

subcontracting agencies may also keep extensive

records regarding the families they serve.



The first point of contact in obtaining information

from a private child welfare agency will generally

be the public agency, which typically maintains

case management and/or supervisory control of the

case. If the public agency records show that

services are received through a private agency, the

latter may be considered as a resource. The same

rules regarding record access typically apply.



Runaway shelters



Shelters for runaways seem a natural source for

information on runaway youth, since this is the

population they serve. Yet public policy is mixed

on whether shelters should provide this

information. These policy issues affect legal and

practical access to shelter information.



On the one hand, youth may typically stay in a

shelter only a limited time and face continuing

danger on the street. Police could assist in

returning them to their families, where danger may

be less and supervision greater. On the other hand,

many youth have run from abuse at home and fear

having to return. If youth know that shelter

personnel will report their presence to police, and

that police will return them to their parents, they

may avoid using shelter services. 



Legal responsibilities 



These conflicting issues have been balanced both

under Federal law and the law of many States by

requiring notification to the parents but not to

law enforcement. If shelter personnel believe that

parental notification may endanger the child, they

may also notify the State child welfare agency.



The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, the Federal

legislation following this general scheme, requires

States with shelters that receive Federal funds to

develop procedures for shelter staff to notify

parents within 24 to 72 hours of the youth's

admission to the shelter. Beyond this notification,

the confidentiality of shelter records must be

protected.



States may develop specific guidelines under the

Federal legislation, and State law does, in fact,

reflect some diversity. Some States require

parental notification except where there are

compelling circumstances to avoid it; some require

notification either to the parent or the State

child welfare agency; and others require only a

good faith effort to notify parents. Very few

require or even specifically allow runaway shelter

personnel to provide information to law

enforcement. 



Typically, State law applies to all runaway

shelters within the State, whether or not Federal

funds are received. In the many States without

statutes governing runaway shelter record access,

State administrative regulations may control.



Parental notification 



The typical requirement that runaway shelters

notify parents can be effective in resolving a

runaway case. Careful law enforcement attention is

needed, however. The reporting parent should be

clearly instructed to notify the investigating

officer on learning of the child's location. While

this seems obvious, not all parents do so. They may

assume the shelter has informed law enforcement or

may not realize that law enforcement is still

actively searching for the youth.



The investigator can also help ensure that the

parents are properly notified. In many cases, youth

supply incomplete or misleading information to the

shelter, making notification impossible. The

investigator can help avoid this risk by providing

complete case information to all runaway shelters

in any area where the youth is believed to have

gone. Information supplied should include a

complete description of the runaway youth, a photo

of the youth, if available, and information for

contacting the parents if the youth comes to the

shelter.



Parental abuse 



In many cases juveniles run away because of

parental abuse. It is important that they be

located and protected against future abuse. In some

States, shelter staff must notify the child welfare

agency rather than, or in addition to, the parent

if the youth alleges parental abuse. Also, in many

States, runaway shelter staff are required under

other State laws to report suspected child abuse to

the State child welfare agency. (The relevant

provision may not be in the State statute

concerning runaway shelters but rather in the one

concerning mandated reporters of child abuse.) 



Investigators may need to make special efforts to

be informed in cases involving allegations of

parental abuse. A parent informed of the youth's

presence at the shelter but also informed of an

abuse complaint may hesitate to notify law

enforcement. The child welfare agency may also not

notify law enforcement either through an oversight

or because of confidentiality concerns. 



To avoid this problem, cooperative agreements among

runaway shelters, child welfare agencies and law

enforcement may be needed. This may be best

addressed through interagency committees, as

discussed later in this guide.



Youth crime 



A substantial number of youth are runaways not only

from their families but from law enforcement as

well. A different set of considerations apply in

these cases.



If the juvenile is wanted for a crime, it is not

safe to assume that parents will notify law

enforcement if they learn of his or her

whereabouts. Thus, parental notification

requirements under law may be of little use to the

police. At the same time, legal protections of

shelter client confidentiality may prevent shelter

staff from reporting the youth's presence to

police.



State law and law enforcement agency policy will

control in these cases. This issue is also an

important one for interagency committees to

address. Since criminally wanted youth may pose a

danger to runaway shelter staff and clients,

shelter staff will probably be well- motivated to

resolve the issue. Under appropriate guidelines,

they may even talk with the youth about

surrendering to law enforcement.



Domestic violence shelters



Shelters for battered women and their children,

like runaway shelters, present a mix of public

policy and legal issues that affect access to

client information. Many women in such shelters are

running from an abusive partner, who may be the

father of one or more of their children. If the

father reports the child as abducted, law

enforcement may be seeking the mother and child.

Shelter staff, who know whether or not the child is

at the shelter, seem an obvious source of

information.



Yet client confidentiality is basic to the function

of a domestic violence shelter. Women frequently

flee in an emergency situation. There may or may

not have been time to obtain a custody order or a

protection order, or even to report to a court

about incidents of violence. If protective shelters

open their doors to women fleeing severe abuse in

emergency situations and help return the children

to the very person who victimized the family, the

purpose of the shelters is undermined. 



Despite this apparent conflict, law enforcement and

domestic violence shelters do share at least one

crucial goal--protection of the child. This shared

goal provides a basis for developing a cooperative

relationship.



Legal protection of shelter client confidentiality 



Since it reflects public concern for victims of

domestic violence, the confidentiality of domestic

violence shelters is generally heavily protected by

law. The Federal Family Violence Prevention and

Services Act of 1984 provides that States receiving

Federal funding for their domestic violence

prevention programs must develop and implement

procedures for protecting the confidentiality of

shelter clients. No exception is provided for

reports to law enforcement.



Additionally, most States have laws that

specifically protect shelter records against

disclosure. A few particularly strong laws allow no

exceptions to confidentiality of communications

between the shelter and the client, even in civil

or criminal court cases. 



In general, the only legal exceptions to domestic

violence shelter client confidentiality tend to be

if a shelter client is abusing or neglecting a

child within the shelter or commits a crime against

another shelter client or staff member. Even these

very limited exceptions are not uniformly specified

under State law.



Gaining the cooperation of shelter staff and

clients 



Most shelter staff do not reveal the identity of

any shelter clients, except by the client's

permission. Winning the permission of shelter

clients may thus be a critical task of law

enforcement in obtaining information. 



Except in rare cases, shelter residents cannot hide

forever. They must at some point submit their

concerns to a court process. Shelter staff

typically realize this, and so do many shelter

clients. 



Clients fearing for their children's safety will

not acknowledge their location if they believe that

law enforcement will immediately reveal it to an

alleged abuser or physically return the child to

that person. If, however, they are reliably assured

that they may submit their claims to a judge before

their location is revealed or the children taken,

they may have some incentive to consider coming out

of hiding.



To encourage cooperation, the investigating officer

could tell a local shelter:



o The name of the child and mother being sought.



o That the officer recognizes issues of protection

may need to be addressed.



o The time and place of any scheduled court

hearings the father has initiated.



o That the mother has a right to seek a court order

for custody (if not previously granted), for change

of custody (if the father has legal custody), or

for an emergency protection order (if available

under State law).



o That law enforcement will not advise the father

of the shelter location at any time.



o That if the mother wishes to acknowledge her

presence at the shelter and promptly seek a court

ruling, law enforcement will refrain from taking

any action until after the court ruling.



o That a police escort can be provided to protect

the mother on her way to and from scheduled court

hearings (if feasible). 



o What actions law enforcement will take to locate

the child and mother if the mother does not reveal

the child's presence.



This notice may be given orally or in writing or

both. Oral notice may help encourage rapport

between shelter staff and law enforcement, while

written notice is helpful to avoid

misunderstanding. 



Once representations are made, it is crucial that

law enforcement uphold them. Over time, as trust

develops, more and more cases may be resolved as

shelter residents voluntarily acknowledge their

whereabouts. This type of cooperation between law

enforcement and domestic violence shelter clients

has been effective in many localities. In a few

States, it is required by law.



The role of interagency committees 



While cooperation of this type may be negotiated on

an individual basis, a proactive approach is far

more likely to be effective. As noted, domestic

violence shelters share many areas of concern with

law enforcement. Joint committees have been

effective in many localities for developing

protocols on this and other issues, such as staff

training, law enforcement response to domestic

calls, and legislative proposals. They may be

especially useful in building the trust needed to

persuade shelter clients to acknowledge their

presence to law enforcement. 



Interagency committees 



Children who become missing are served by many

agencies. Police, schools, medical care providers,

child welfare agencies, mental health providers,

and runaway, protective, or family shelters may all

play a role in the child's life. 



If each of these agencies operates independently,

with little communication with the others, services

will be scattered and inefficient. The most basic

information--such as where the child is--may be

known to some but not to others. Clear procedures

for sharing information, agreed upon by all, may

not exist. This is of serious concern to police

searching for a missing child. 



Many cities, metropolitan areas, counties, and

States have established interagency committees

representing a range of law enforcement and human

service agencies. These committees develop joint

policies and initiatives on a range of public

service issues. They may focus specifically on

missing children or may address other common

concerns (such as abused, neglected, or exploited

children) as well.



Interagency committees improve communication and

cooperation between agencies and improve delivery

of services to children and families. They also

reduce duplication of services and efforts, develop

existing resources, and identify new ones.



An interagency committee can develop procedures for

access by law enforcement to agency records in

missing children and other cases. Standard forms,

procedures, and protocols allow investigating

officers to act quickly and efficiently in gaining

record access, an important contribution to finding

a missing child.



M/CAP assistance 



The Missing and Exploited Children Comprehensive

Action Program (M/CAP), a training and technical

assistance program of the Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), can

help communities develop or improve interagency

committees. Where communities already have strong

multidisciplinary committees, M/CAP can help these

committees improve services in missing children

cases. In addition to training and technical

assistance, M/CAP provides:



o Networking opportunities with other M/CAP teams

or interagency committees.



o Access to resources such as crime analysis tools

and case management software.



o Specialized publications and other resource

materials.2



Access to records 



Record access is one of several key issues

interagency committees may need to address. The

focus should be on ensuring the maximum access

allowed by law, in the most efficient manner

possible. To help reach this goal, law enforcement

representatives should:



o Clearly communicate why specific information is

needed, and why it is needed quickly.



o Be sensitive to agency concerns regarding client

confidentiality.



o Be well informed on any applicable law requiring

or allowing record access to law enforcement,

bringing copies to meetings and explaining them as

needed.



o Recognize any areas where law enforcement does

not have access under law, and be prepared to work

toward solutions based on client consent.



o Tactfully identify past problems in obtaining

record access.



o Seek solutions that allow access to information

useful to locate a child but avoid disclosure of

unnecessary personal or treatment information.



Agency records can be a valuable source of

information in searches for missing children. Law

enforcement can increase access to that information

by learning, developing, and using basic steps for

obtaining it. 



A checklist 



Law enforcement agencies may find it advisable to

develop a checklist for obtaining agency records in

locating missing children. Exact procedures will

vary according to State and local policy, but the

following elements should be included in directions

to investigating officers. Ideally, the

instructions should be incorporated into the

department's more comprehensive checklist

addressing all aspects of case investigation. (Some

steps have dual functions but are included if they

relate to record collection.)



During the initial interview with the reporting

parent(s), the investigating officer should:



o Obtain written consent extending to law

enforcement any right to the child's records that

the parent may have, including school, medical,

dental, mental health, and child welfare agency

records.



o In a parental abduction case, determine what the

parent believes to be the current custody order and

from what court it was issued.



o Request that the parent obtain and supply copies

of the child's recent medical, dental, and school

records.



o Ask what school the child attended most recently.



o Ask where the child was born.



o Obtain the name and phone number of the child's

regular treating physician.



o Ask whether the child has a serious medical

condition requiring continuing treatment and, if

so, obtain the names and phone numbers of treating

physicians.



o Ask whether the family has recently received

services from the State child welfare department.



o Ask whether there have been past incidents or

reports of violence within the family.



During the initial investigation:



o Enter the child into the FBI's National Crime

Information Center (NCIC) computerized Missing

Persons File.



o Contact the National Center on Missing Children.



o Contact the principal at the child's most recent

school. Ask to be notified immediately if a request

is received to forward the student's records.



o Contact the birth certificate registry in the

county and State where the child was born. Ask to

be contacted immediately if a copy of the child's

birth certificate is requested.



o In a parental abduction case, obtain a certified

copy of the most recent child custody decision from

the court with jurisdiction, and keep it in the

case record.



o Follow up to ensure that the records requested

from the parent are obtained, and examine them for

clues.



o If the child has a serious medical condition,

contact the most recent treating physician to

arrange to be immediately notified of a request to

forward the medical records.



o If the child is of preschool or younger school

age, contact the child's regular physician. Ask to

be notified if vaccination or other medical records

are requested by any person.



o If the family has recently received services from

a child welfare agency, contact the office to

obtain access to the agency records regarding the

family, and search it for clues.



o If the child is a runaway, contact shelters for

runaways in nearby cities, giving them the child's

name and photograph and the parents' names and

phone numbers.



o If there is reason to believe that the child is

with the mother in a shelter for battered women,

contact shelter officials to advise them of any

pending court dates and to ask if arrangements can

be made for the mother to acknowledge her presence

at the shelter and to seek a protective or custody

order or both.



When there is reason to believe the child is in a

specific State or locality:



o Contact the local schools or State board of

education to determine whether the child is

enrolled in school, using the parent's consent if

needed, and the court order showing custody if

applicable.



o Contact local hospitals to determine whether the

child has recently received treatment, using the

parent's consent if needed, and the court order

showing custody if applicable.



o If the child was abducted and there is reason to

believe he or she may be abused or neglected in the

new location, contact the public child welfare

agency to determine whether it has knowledge of the

child. The most likely basis for record access will

be if the investigation includes possible criminal

abuse or neglect after the abduction.



o If the child is a runaway, give the local runaway

shelters information to help them contact the

parent if the youth comes to the shelter.



o If the child may be with the mother in a domestic

violence shelter, enlist the help of local law

enforcement to obtain the cooperation of the

shelter in providing information.



------------------------------------



Notes



1. Patterson, J.C. Investigator's Guide to Missing

Children Cases. Arlington, VA: National Center on

Missing and Exploited Children, 1987, pp. 33-34.



2. Media exposure is one of several important forms

of technical assistance offered in cases opened

with the National Center. Law enforcement may open

a case for technical assistance by calling the

National Center at 800-843-5678.



3. Law enforcement agencies are required by the

National Search Assistance Act (42 USC sections

5779) to immediately enter all missing children

cases into the NCIC.



4. Patterson, 13. Note that verification of

custodial status is not needed to determine whether

to open a missing child case, since the Federal

Missing Children Act and the National Missing

Children Search Assistance Act require entry of the

child's description into the National Crime

Information Center without regard to the custodial

status of the reporting parent.



5. The National Center can be reached at 800-843-

5678.



6. 17 Cal. 3d 425, 551 P. 2d 334 (Cal. 1976).



7. Information on M/CAP is available from the

Special Projects Office of the Public

Administration at 703-235-3892.



-----------------------------



Researchers Planners



Policymakers



More detailed information about how to use agency

records to find missing children is available

through the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse.



The 143-page report Addressing Confidentiality of

Records in Searches for Missing Children, a study

conducted jointly by the American Bar Association

Center on Children and the Law and the National

Association of Social Workers, includes research on

the law, agency policies, and agency attitudes

regarding cross-referencing records. A 66-page

companion document, Listing and Description of

State Laws Affecting Record Access in Missing

Children Cases provides details of the policies in

each State.



For copies of these materials, complete and return

the order form below with your payment.



For further information on this or other juvenile

justice topics, call the Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse at 800-638-8736.



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Records in Searches for Missing Children (NCJ

155183) or the Listing and Description of State

Laws Affecting Record Access in Missing Children

Cases (NCJ 155107), please complete the following:



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Orders may also be placed by calling the

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Publications From OJJDP



The following OJJDP publications are available from

the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse. To obtain

copies, call or write:



Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse

P.O. Box 6000

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Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7p.m., e.t.



Delinquency Prevention



Delinquency Prevention Works (Program Summary).

1995, NCJ 155006 (76 pp.).



Family Life, Delinquency, and Crime: A

Policymaker's Guide. 1994, NCJ 140517 (65 pp.).



Family Strengthening in Preventing Delinquency--A

Literature Review. 1994, NCJ 150222 (76 pp.),

$13.00.



Matrix of Community-Based Initiatives (Program

Summary). 1995, NCJ 154816 (51 pp.).



OJJDP and Boys and Girls Clubs of America: Public

Housing and High-Risk Youth. 1991, NCJ 128412 (5

pp.).



Strengthening America's Families: Promising

Parenting Strategies for Delinquency Prevention.

1993, NCJ 140781 (105 pp.), $9.15.



Missing and Exploited Children



The Compendium of the North American Symposium on

International Child Abduction: How To Handle

International Child Abduction Cases. 1993, NCJ

148137 (928 pp.), $17.50.



Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children

in America, First Report: Numbers and

Characteristics, National Incidence Studies (Full

Report). 1990, NCJ 123668 (251 pp.), $14.40.



Missing Children: Found Facts. 1990, NCJ 130916 (4

pp.).



Obstacles to the Recovery and Return of Parentally

Abducted Children. 1994, NCJ 143458 (21 pp.).



Obstacles to the Recovery and Return of Parentally

Abducted Children (Full Report). 1993, NCJ 144535

(877 pp.), $22.80.



Parental Abductors: Four Interviews (Video). 1993,

NCJ 147866 (43 min.), $12.50.



Law Enforcement



Drug Recognition Techniques: A Training Program for

Juvenile Justice Professionals. 1990, NCJ 128795 (4

pp.).



Innovative Law Enforcement Training Programs:

Meeting State and Local Needs. 1991, NCJ 131735 (4

pp.).



Law Enforcement Custody of Juveniles (Video). 1992,

NCJ 137387 (31 min.), $13.50.



Law Enforcement Policies and Practices Regarding

Missing Children and Homeless Youth. 1993, NCJ

145644 (25 pp.).



Law Enforcement Policies and Practices Regarding

Missing Children and Homeless Youth (Full Report).

1993, NCJ 143397 (217 pp.), $13.00. 



Courts



The Child Victim as a Witness, Research Report.

1994, NCJ 149172 (143 pp.).



Helping Victims and Witnesses in the Juvenile

Justice System: A Program Handbook. 1991, NCJ

139731 (282 pp.), $15.00.



How Juveniles Get to Criminal Court. 1994, NCJ

150309 (5 pp.).



Juvenile Court Property Cases. 1990, NCJ 125625 (5

pp.).



Juvenile Court Statistics, 1992. 1994, NCJ 147487

(240 pp.).



Offenders in Juvenile Court, 1992. 1994, NCJ 150039

(11 pp.).



Gangs



Gang Suppression and Intervention: An Assessment

(Full Report). 1994, NCJ 146494 (197 pp.), $15.00.



Gang Suppression and Intervention: Community

Models. 1994, NCJ 148202 (26 pp.).



Gang Suppression and Intervention: Problem and

Response. 1994, NCJ 149629 (21 pp.).



Rising Above Gangs and Drugs: How To Start a

Community Reclamation Project (Training Manual).

1995, NCJ 133522 (264 pp.).



Restitution



Guide to Juvenile Restitution. 1985, NCJ 098466

(162 pp.), $12.50.



Liability and Legal Issues in Juvenile Restitution.

1990, NCJ 115405 (24 pp.).



Victim-Offender Mediation in the Juvenile Justice

System. 1990, NCJ 120976 (16 pp.).

Corrections



American Probation and Parole Association's Drug

Testing Guidelines and Practices for Juvenile

Probation and Parole Agencies. 1992, NCJ 136450

(163 pp.).



Conditions of Confinement: Juvenile Detention and

Corrections Facilities. 1994, NCJ 141873 (16 pp.).



Desktop Guide to Good Juvenile Probation Practice.

1991, NCJ 128218 (141 pp.).



A Resource Manual for Juvenile Detention and

Corrections: Effective and Innovative Programs.

1995, NCJ 155285 (164 pp.), $15.00.



Effective Practices in Juvenile Correctional

Education: A Study of the Literature and Research

1980-1992. 1994, NCJ 150066 (194 pp.), $15.00.



Improving Literacy Skills of Juvenile Detainees.

1994, NCJ 150707 (5 pp.).



Intensive Aftercare for High-Risk Juveniles: An

Assessment (Full Report). 1994, NCJ 144018 (195

pp.), $15.00.



Intensive Aftercare for High-Risk Juveniles: A

Community Care Model. 1994, NCJ 147575 (20 pp.).



Intensive Aftercare for High-Risk Juveniles:

Policies and Procedures. 1994, NCJ 147712 (28 pp.).



Juvenile Correctional Education: A Time for Change.

1994, NCJ 150309 (3 pp.).



Juvenile Court Statistics 1992 (Statistics Report).

1995, NCJ 154168 (93 pp.).



Juvenile Intensive Supervision: An Assessment (Full

Report). 1994, NCJ 150064 (89 pp.), $13.00.



Juvenile Intensive Supervision: Planning Guide.

1994, NCJ 150065 (80 pp.).



Juveniles Taken Into Custody: Fiscal Year 1993

Report. 1993, NCJ 145746 (195 pp.).



National Survey of Reading Programs for

Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders. 1993, NCJ 144017

(51 pp.). $6.75.



OJJDP: Conditions of Confinement Tele-conference

(Video). 1993, NCJ 147531 (90 min.), $14.00.



Public Juvenile Facilities: Children in Custody

1989. 1991, NCJ 127189 (10 pp.). 



Reduced Recidivism and Increased Employment

Opportunity Through Research-Based Reading

Instruction. 1993, NCJ 141324 (76 pp.), $7.70.



General Juvenile Justice



Balanced and Restorative Justice. 1994, NCJ 149727

(16 pp.).



Breaking the Code (Video). 1993, NCJ 146604 (83

min.), $20.65.



Bridging the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice

Systems (JJ Bulletin). 1995, NCJ 152155 (4 pp.).



Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and

Chronic Juvenile Offenders. 1993, NCJ 143453 (46

pp.). 



Gould-Wysinger Awards (1993): A Tradition of

Excellence. 1994, NCJ 146840 (6 pp.).



Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy

for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders (Update on Statistics).

1995, NCJ 153681 (255 pp.).



Gun Acquisition and Possession in Selected Juvenile

Samples. 1993, NCJ 145326 (11 pp.).



Innovative Community Partnerships: Working Together

for Change. 1994, NCJ 146483 (32 pp.).



Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A Focus on Violence

(Statistics Summary). 1995, NCJ 153570 (35 pp.).



Law-Related Education for Juvenile Justice

Settings. 1993, NCJ 147063 (173 pp.), $13.20.



Minorities and the Juvenile Justice System. 1993,

NCJ 145849 (18 pp.).



Minorities and the Juvenile Justice System (Full

Report). 1993, NCJ 139556 (176 pp.), $11.50.



Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention Brochure. 1993, NCJ 144527 (24 pp.).



Study of Tribal and Alaska Native Juvenile Justice

Systems. 1992, NCJ 148217 (208 pp.), $17.20.



Urban Delinquency and Substance Abuse: Initial

Findings. 1994, NCJ 143454 (27 pp.).



Urban Delinquency and Substance Abuse: Technical

Report and Appendices. 1993, NCJ 146416 (400 pp.),

$25.60.



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