Biden Creates Specialized Unit To Serve Child Victims

Attorney General Beau Biden, joined by prosecutors and representatives from the Children’s Advocacy Center of Delaware and Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, announced July 2 that he has created the Child Victims Unit, a specialized unit within the Delaware Department of Justice that streamlines the prosecutorial and social services of the Department to more effectively protect Delaware's children who are victims of the most violent crime.

“Children are especially vulnerable to acts of violence and abuse for a variety of reasons, including their young age and the fact that perpetrators are often in a position of trust or are responsible for their care,” Biden said. “The Child Victims Unit brings together prosecutors, a criminal investigator, and other staff from across the Department of Justice into a unified team focused exclusively on protecting children who are victims of crime. By integrating our efforts to protect children and families we can most effectively navigate the complex and sensitive circumstances surrounding these cases in order to secure justice for victims.”

Currently, depending on the specific nature of the crime, cases involving child victims are prosecuted by one of several units in the Attorney General’s Criminal and Family Divisions. The new Child Victims Unit is comprised of staff from both the criminal and family divisions and is charged with prosecuting all child death cases and all life-threatening crimes of violence against children statewide. It also relies on two new positions - one prosecutor and one criminal investigator - provided by the General Assembly in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget.
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