Family advocates, industry experts, and federal officials agreed on steps last week. Internet service providers, the conduit for most home PCs, vowed to eliminate child porn, and vendors displayed software to block objectionable sites. But such measures are ineffective away from home, where 70 percent of children's Internet access occurs. And screening systems often can't distinguish obscenity from good literature. Police cite community patrols and minor-crime arrests.
Lawmakers note longer prison terms.
Local groups tout grass-roots prevention. Yet a new Justice Department study says declining use of cocaine, notably crack, may be the primary reason. A drop in family-related killings is also key. With crack use by arrestees down, murders may drop more. But persistent high cocaine use by young suspects in places like Atlanta and Indianapolis may portend bad news as teen numbers grow.