NCJ Number
177783
Date Published
June 1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The use of technology by the Porterville, California, Police Department to prevent child abductions is considered, specifically technology that is available in the form of a small "bio chip" that can be injected or placed under the skin to monitor victims and suspects.
Abstract
Although the bio chip is currently being used in animal identification, at issue is whether it can be injected under the skin of children and be activated at the first report of a missing or abducted child. The nominal group technique was employed to develop a possible future scenario in which the Porterville Police Department (PPD) could use technology to prevent child abductions. One of the trends identified by a panel of experts was a decrease in family values which could encourage more deviant behavior. The panel also identified a strong concern for media influence, determined technology would develop in the near future to allow small transponders to be injected into known child molesters so they could be tracked, and felt chemical castration would be a mandatory element of future sentencing. The conduct of child abduction investigations by the PPD is discussed in terms of resource availability, planning, follow-up, and evaluation. 9 references