Bill Overview
Title: Respect for Child Survivors Act
Description: This bill requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to use a multidisciplinary approach with any investigation of child sexual exploitation or abuse, the production of child sexual abuse material, or child trafficking. The FBI must also use a trained child adolescent forensic interviewer in these investigations if practicable and consistent with applicable federal law. In implementing a multidisciplinary approach, the bill requires the FBI to use and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams based at children's advocacy centers.
Sponsors: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-16]
Target Audience
Population: Children and adolescents affected by sexual exploitation, abuse, or trafficking globally
Estimated Size: 3000000
- The bill focuses on investigations of child sexual exploitation, abuse, and trafficking.
- Child survivors of these crimes are the immediate individuals impacted by the implementation of the bill.
- FBI's use of a multidisciplinary approach and trained child forensic interviewers aims to improve the investigative process and outcomes for these survivors.
- The use of multidisciplinary teams and children's advocacy centers will likely improve the support services and resources available to child survivors.
- Children and adolescents who might face gross injustice in investigations are expected beneficiaries of such measures.
Reasoning
- The target population directly impacted by this policy includes children and adolescents who have experienced sexual exploitation, abuse, or trafficking. The implementation of this policy is expected to create systemic changes in how investigations are handled, which could improve the wellbeing of survivors by providing them with more comprehensive support and reducing the trauma associated with investigations.
- Considering a budget of about $62.25 million over 10 years, this budget should accommodate the training and integration of multidisciplinary teams and child forensic interviewers for a significant number of cases annually. Not every child who interacts with the FBI will benefit equally, depending on case details and investigation parameters.
- Given the estimated number of impacted children in the US (approximately 3 million), only a fraction will directly benefit from FBI intervention and improved investigation practices. Each interview reflects a range of potential impacts from this policy change, across different demographics and backgrounds.
- Cost considerations are significant, as implementing an effective multidisciplinary approach and ensuring forensic interviewers are consistently used requires substantial resources. Balancing these costs over a decade ensures the policy can be sustainable and impactful without exceeding budget constraints.
- Impact duration varies; benefits for some people might be immediate and short-term (e.g., reduced trauma during investigations), while others might see long-term improvements in psychological wellbeing due to justice being served or due to better handling of their cases.
Simulated Interviews
student (Ohio)
Age: 12 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I feel scared about talking to police or FBI agents, but maybe if they had people who understand kids better, it wouldn't be as bad.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 3 |
high school student (California)
Age: 16 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It sounds like the FBI might be easier to talk to if they have more people who know about working with kids.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
student (Texas)
Age: 11 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Knowing the FBI has people trained to talk to kids makes me feel a little better about cases like my cousin's.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
lawyer (New York)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is long overdue. Better coordination and improved interviewing techniques can minimize trauma for young witnesses and victims.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
FBI agent (Georgia)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy will require more training, but it's essential for gaining trust with child victims, which is often crucial in these cases.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
social worker (Illinois)
Age: 50 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 6.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Increased collaboration through better policies should help us protect more kids effectively.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
policy analyst (Washington D.C.)
Age: 34 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Such measures can significantly improve the systemic handling of sensitive cases, leading to better outcomes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
student (Florida)
Age: 14 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'd feel better if someone who understood kids was there when dealing with serious stuff.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
retired educator (California)
Age: 62 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This approach should have been implemented decades ago, it will slow decay in trust with law enforcement community among young people.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
college student (Arizona)
Age: 20 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Ensuring trained professionals are involved could have made a difference in my situation, hopefully it helps other kids.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $8000000 (Low: $6000000, High: $10000000)
Year 2: $7000000 (Low: $5000000, High: $9000000)
Year 3: $6500000 (Low: $4500000, High: $8500000)
Year 5: $6000000 (Low: $4000000, High: $8000000)
Year 10: $5500000 (Low: $3500000, High: $7500000)
Year 100: $5000000 (Low: $3000000, High: $7000000)
Key Considerations
- Balancing immediate increased costs with potential long-term benefits of prevention and efficient case management.
- The importance of adequately funding child forensic interview training to maximize outcomes.
- Ensuring legal and operational guidelines adapt for smooth integration of multidisciplinary teams.