Frank Lautenberg: “we live in a world where it is increasingly difficult to protect our children. The advent of sophisticated computer…”

“we live in a world where it is increasingly difficult to protect our children. The advent of sophisticated computer technology has made it too easy for depraved criminals to gather information about children and prey upon them. And nothing is more heinous and reprehensible than the brutalization of a child. We cannot be too vigilant in the battle against child predators. I am pleased that today, with the passage of the Child Protection and Sexual Predator Punishment Act, the Senate is marching forward in this fight. This legislation will provide tough punishment for those who would sexually abuse the youth of our Nation. This measure contains an important provision, the Joan's Law Act, that Senator Torricelli and I originally introduced as a separate bill. This measure is based on a New Jersey law, which was named after a 7-year-old-girl, Joan D'Alessandro. Tragically, Joan was raped and killed in 1973. Although her murderer was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 20 years in State prison, he has become eligible for parole and continues to seek his release. Joan's family has repeatedly had to fight against parole for this vicious killer. They have been forced to relive this tragedy again and again, as they try to ensure that others are protected from the terrible horror they have suffered. Joan's law will spare other families from these battles.”