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This study aims to present a qualitative, empirically based typology of offenders who use online communications to commit sex crimes against minors, including offenders who met victims online and those who knew them in advance. Seventy-five reports made by law enforcement officers were analyzed using a qualitative software program, during which a typology defining 4 types of offenders was identified: the expert, the cynical, the affection-focused, and the sex-focused. Each type of offender was characterized by patterns of online communication, offline and online identity, relationship dynamics with the victim, and level of sex crime expertise. The typology reveals the heterogeneous nature of sex offenders who use online communications. This diversity must be addressed to provide satisfactory interventions for both victims and offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the types of undercover investigations conducted on the Internet. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted with police about 544 undercover cases ending in arrest for an Internet-related sex crime against a minor in 2006. The two most common types of undercover investigations involved police posing online as minors (76%) and undercover police investigations of child pornography (20%). Additionally, a few investigators were posing as adults having access to minors to sell or wanting to purchase sex with a minor (4%). The findings of this paper are a first step in understanding the efficacy of various types of investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper documents changes in the rates and characteristics of undercover police investigations against child sexual exploiters on the Internet. Telephone interviews were conducted with law enforcement officials about a nationally representative sample of cases ending in arrest for an Internet-related sex crime against a minor in 2000 and 2006. The survey found a 280% increase in arrests of offenders identified in undercover operations between the two time periods. This translates to an increase in estimated numbers of arrests nationwide from 826 to 3137. Federally funded Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces showed the largest increase in arrests by 988%. The growth in arrests suggests the successful adaptation of new technology and training to improve police effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines law enforcement dilemmas in child pornography possession investigations in which no offender was arrested. A mail survey of US law enforcement agencies identified a sample of Internet child pornography possession cases where no arrest was made. Telephone surveys with law enforcement investigators were used to collect case-specific data and information on dilemmas in these investigations. Law enforcement investigators reported that determining whether or not images fit within statutory limits and ascertaining the age of children in images impacted arrest outcomes in child pornography possession cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Youth Internet Safety Survey is a nationally representative study of 1501 youth, aged 10-17, who use the Internet regularly. In the past year, 19% of youth reported an unwanted sexual solicitation, 25% reported an unwanted exposure to sexual material, and 6% had been harassed online. Data suggest that youth encounter a substantial quantity of offensive episodes, and a comprehensive strategy to respond to the problem would aim to reduce the quantity of offensive behavior, better shield youth from its occurrence, increase the level of reporting, and provide more help to youth and families to protect them from any consequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]