Combatting crimes against children in the digital age

New and emerging technologies have led to significant advances in how and where we are able to communicate with one another, but they have also further opened a dark corner of the electronic world.

Many of the same tools and social media platforms, which allow us to connect with friends and family in places far and wide, have also provided a cheap and often anonymous means to commit crimes. The most heinous among these is the proliferation of child pornography and child enticement crimes.

In order to fight and deter these dangerous offenses, we have filed House Bill 1148: An Act Regarding Asset Forfeiture for consideration.

This important public safety bill would add the crimes of child pornography and child enticement into those categories where the assets used in a commission of a crime can be seized and sold for public purposes, such as human trafficking. Specifically, any items or assets used by convicted individuals in their crimes would be seized, the digital evidence removed and preserved in accordance with the law, and the devices themselves sold in order that the funds could be used to fight, prevent and remediate victims in similar crimes in the future. Those proceeds would fund critical initiatives like victim rehabilitation and therapy, instituting programs for Internet safety education, and to purchase equipment for our law enforcement agencies to fight these kinds of crimes.

In order to safeguard this process, the disposition would occur through an independent judicial review to ensure that the assets were truly used in the commission of the crimes. With court approval – and only with court approval – those items determined to be used in the production, storage, dissemination of child pornography and child enticement would be disposed of in order to remediate victims and combat these serious offenses in the future.

As a State Representative and the Middlesex Sheriff, we know that our state must have a zero tolerance policy for those individuals who engage in the serious and life destroying crimes of child pornography and child enticement. Nothing could be more disturbing than those offenses committed against innocent children. Our bill will help give our law enforcement and social service agencies tools to help those injured and prevent these crimes in the future. Our bill offers a straight-forward, commonsense measure to address the ever-changing role of technology in society and its impact and use in this area of criminal activity.

House Bill 1148 is supported by over 18 of our colleagues in both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and State Senate – from both political parties. This is a bipartisan effort because we can all agree that this most heinous crime should receive the full effect of the law. We believe this bill will move us in the right direction and make our state safer for all citizens.

Peter J. Koutoujian is Sheriff of Middlesex County & James Arciero represents the 2nd Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Represenatives.

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