WestEd’s Justice & Prevention Research Center (JPRC) is leading an evaluation of training provided to investigators assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC).
ICAC coordinates a network of task forces that help state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide investigate and prosecute crimes involving children, particularly crimes of sexual exploitation. ICAC supports include forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education.
WestEd’s evaluation is intended to help the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) improve the training of ICAC investigators nationwide and could have a significant impact on reducing sexual exploitation and other predatory crimes against children.
The four-year evaluation will assess the:
- Quality of ICAC training design and materials
- Quality of ICAC training implementation
- Outcomes associated with ICAC training participation
- Costs and benefits associated with ICAC training
The WestEd team will collaborate with stakeholders to assess training designs, implementation, outcomes, and costs.
Methodology
The evaluation team will incorporate a variety of data collection and analysis methods. The study is structured into four phases, focusing first on training quality, then moving to examine implementation quality, associated outcomes, and costs and benefits. Across these phases, the evaluation team will utilize strategies such as document review, interviews, and surveys. Findings will be disseminated to the OJJDP and national audiences, including policy, practice, and scientific communities.
Evaluation Collaborators and Partners
As part of its evaluation for ICAC, WestEd is working closely with a national network of investigators and partnering with the Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity (CIC) and Dr. Lisa Jones from the Crimes against Children Research Center at University of New Hampshire.