If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. -...... N(' , "j NATIONAL CENTER FOR III&4iINC; I~XI• .A)Ir"I~I) L....-l...----I CHILDREN Parental Kidnapping How to Prevent an 'Abduction and s. What to Do j If Your Child !i • II Is Abducted " :1 n ~ I ,! II'I f! II " \1 Ii i it 11 it IIIi I, : i I; ! \ ,~ \, ; ; I : I ' , j , ! i • , () I 1 $ : --~-, ..,...----- ," The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children "\ - provides training assistance to law-enforcement and child protection agencies to develop effective procedures to investigate and prosecute cases of missing and exploited children - assists individuals, groups, agencies, and state and local governments involved in inves­ tigating and prosecuting cases of criminally or sexually exploited children - provides information and advice on effective state legislation to assure the safety and protection of children - provides prevention and education programs for parents, schools, action groups, agencies, communities, volunteer organizations, law enforcement, and local, state, and federal institutions - distributes comprehensive instruction packages to aid communities in protecting children - organizes networks of information among school systems, school boards, parent-teacher organizations, and community organizations abollt proven techniques for implementing educational programs - conducts an outreach program to alert families, communities, the criminal justice system, and concerned organizations about the nature and extent of child victimization and exploitation - ensures coordination among parents, missing children groups, and the media to distribute photos and descriptions of missing children - coordinates the exchange of information regarding child exploitation The Center is a primary resource for assistance and expertise in all these areas: Improving the Education Criminal Justice System II Advocacy Prevention " Public Awareness Legislation Toll-jree Hotline , - The Center maintains a toll-free telephone number for those individuals who have information that could lead to the location and recovery of a missing child, Because these calls can ,lite,rally. be 'a matter of life' or death, we ask that the Hotline number be used by those ' individuals whO have this critical information, If you know the location of a missing child, . please call tQis number: ~ .. - ~ , . ' , " ' . • .... • ' , 1-800-843-5678 <', .. .' : .; ,... • :; lnjormation;'Plellse,' '.'., .",' . ~ I: .- . • to: .... i! .' " • M!ssj9i and Er,'p.loited Children offers a nation,a! clearinghouse that; u ~ r.heN~t!?nru:qenter"for i , ," t col1ecls;.compilee, exchanges, and disS{mUnates information. Anyone who is seeking tnforr '"il ' v ;. ':~::: ma~ioh pc- Vl;:h0 'wishes to' ¢OQtribute iriformation al]clpt' the, problem. should write 'to the , ;1 . ;,;~ ··T, .f()lIowm~ address:,: ~ '.' .' ,~.: "':. " :,~' '" ,.' : . ~ : .• ' •• • ',r" !. f· " "." ", :.:~:',;. ,,i., '.' .', ". '! .,_ ....:' .:,.• ~ .~" '". ~.: ;':". ,', . ,I. ~ •,.:" . :; ~ .".-K • ~ti()naf CenterJor ,Missing and, Exploit~d' C,hiTdren '- • .1 ; iI ';',; .• ' ; h. " 1835.I( Str€jetj N. W .~, Suite 700 ..... ~. " • , 1, i: , I, .. .; : ~ Waspmgton.O.d: 20006 . , • " I; j~J .. '~ '" '.p.~ -t.. • , . , Ii . '. :i ,.' .. I',I ,, II '" Ii 0 . , Ii Ii H 1 a The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - provides training assistance to law-enforcement and child protection agencies to develop effective procedures to investigate and prosecute cases of missing and exploited children - assists individuals, groups, agencies, and state and local governments involved in inves­ tigating and prosecuting cases of criminally or sexually exploited children - provides information and advice on effective state legislation to assure the safety and protection of children - provides prevention and education programs for parents, schools, action groups, agencies, Parental Kidnc,pping communities, volunteer organizations, law enforcement, and local, state, and federal j institutions - distributes comprehensive instruction packages to aid communities in protecting children How to Prevent an Abduction - organizes networks of information among school systems, school boards, parent-teacher organizations, and community organizations about proven techniques for implementing and educational programs - conducts an outreach program to alert families, communities, the criminal justice system, What to Do If Your ChildLI~ Abducted and concerned organizations about the nature and extant of child victimization and exploitation - ensures coordination among parents, missing children groups, and the media to distribute photos and descriptions of missing children - coordinates the exchange of information regarding child exploitation The Center is a primary resource for assistance and expertise in all these areas: March 1985 Improving the Education Criminal Justice System Advocacy Patricia M. Hoff Prevention National Legai Resource Center for Child Advocacy and Protection of the American Bar Association Public Awareness Legislation Toll-jree Hotline . , The Center maintains a toll-free telephone number for those individuals who have information that could lead to the location and recovery of a missing child, Because these calls can .1ite.rally. be 'a matter of life 'or death, we ask that the Hotline number be used by those indi-viduals whO have this critical information. If you know the location of a missing child, . '" .please call tqi~ numb~r: ~,.. .. f~.J ~" .f'. ..:' 1-800-843-5678 11 :: '.". ,. National Center for Missing Exploited Children ,.' & Q ,; 'Injormation''Plellse '.:,. '. .' . , .. • • ., ~ fJ' ... .: •. , • ,."~ ~. ~ T.he Natl?nal.'~enter for Missj~ and EXp'lolted Children offets a national clearinghouse that; " ' , .;. ~', colIed.f. .compiles, exchanMs,. and dtsseminates information. Anyone Who is seeking lnfor,. ~ , .!.' c' • , '. ~ ~ mation 9r ~h0' wishes to COntribute information aqol1t' the, problem should write to the \ "lI' • ·:Ii f(")lIowiJI~ address~'; r .• ' .~ .. ,'.... .. '.' , ',u< . _" .. '. :' •• ' ' • • ,~~ !. ,:. i ' .".. " :':~,:,'" . i·, ',' .', J.' '/ :'_... '~.,' r '. d' '" " ~ • : ~.' ~ ~. 1 ; •• ... u~ ~: ~;" ~;~ '/'.' N~tiona! Center,for,Missing and Exp1oited'Chifdren ~ • " ?" .: i;.. " 1835I< Strt1et~ N.W.:, Suite 700 '''" .' •. t,,· "; .; Waspmgton. D.C: 20006 • , , J,J, ....\, , "-' .... • >l. ~ .. , .' . .. ~,. r- ~tf; ~ , i .... , ... .," E ) tt W( - 97944 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily Contents represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of , Justice. , Permission to reproduce this c~d material has been Foreword granted by Public Domai1!LOJ®~IJ _~~ __ .~ A Message to the Reader ~US Deparbnent of Jqstic:::;e=--__ Glossary to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permis­ 1. Working with the Police and Prosecutors 1 sion of the c~ owner First Steps 1 Criminal Charges 2 The Criminal Investigation 3 The Arrest 4 Conviction 5 The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children acknowledges Victims' Assistance 5 the contributions of Howard Davidson, Janet Kosid, Kathy Rosenthal Jim Scutt, MichelIe Popowsky, and John Katsu. ' 2. Working Through the Family Court: Your Custody Decree 7 Hiring a Lawyer 7 Finding the Right Lawyer 7 Consulting with Your Lawyer 7 Free Legal Services 8 Obtaining Custody 8 Enforcing Your Custody Decree 9 Child-Snatching Lawsuits 10 3. Searching for Your Child 11 Support Groups 11 Sources of Information 11 4. Legally Recovering Your Child 17 Voluntary Return 17 Self-Help Recovery 17 The contents should not be construed as official policy of the Police Assistance 17 American Bar A~~ociati()n or any other IIgency of the fedeflll government. Civil Legal Actions 17 Prepared under Cooperative Agreement #84-JS-AX-KOI6 from S. After the Abduction 19 the. Office of Juvenile Justice lind Delinqucncy Prevention. Psychological Counseling 19 Office of Justice As~iMancc. Resellrch. and Statistics. U.S. ~\ Department of JUMice. Acting as a Witness 19 Visitation Rights 19 Points of view or opinions in thi~ handbook arc those of the author and do not necessarily rcprc\enl the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. H( • i = - - 6. Preventing an Abduction 21 Prevention for Parents 21 Prevention Provisions in the Custody Decree 22 7. Rights of the Noncustodial Parent 2S 8. The Laws on Parental Kidnapping 27 State Parental Kidnapping Laws 27 Foreword State Missing Children Laws 27 Missing Children Act 27 A significant number of child kidnappings technique at their disposal to find the missing Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA) 27 that take place in the United States are in fact child. A description of many of these resources Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act of 1980 (PKPA) 28 the result of noncustodial parental kidnap­ is included in this book. ping. Regardless of the intentions of the ab­ First, it is crucial to obtain a court order Parental Kidnapping Support Groups 29, ducting parent, the child suffers the conse­ for custody-called a custody decree or cus­ Additional Reading 31 ! quences of being uprooted from a home, tudy order-if you do not already have one. deprived of the other parent, and forced to This should be done