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Abstract: 

Unfortunately, for all its wonders, the Internet has facilitated a dramatic increase in sexual victimization of children... This is manifested in both the exponential growth of the development, distribution, and viewing of child pornography, as well as in the luring of children into harmful real-world situations. Often these two crimes are interconnected. Compounding the problem are two other sad realities. First, many supervising officers tasked with managing sex offenders have overwhelming caseloads that limit their ability to provide effective supervision. Second, even where staffing might be adequate, officers typically do not receive the tools or the necessary training to manage offenders’ computer and Internet use. Monitoring and regular inspection of computers used by probationers and parolees is a relatively new practice and the first software tools used for this purpose were introduced less than 10 years ago. These software tools, often referred to as computer/ Internet management products, evolved from software developed to automate practices used by forensic specialists in laboratories to examine computers for evidence in criminal investigations. Today’s most advanced computer management products include remote access via the Internet and are fundamentally different from computer forensics tools. This article summarizes and discusses their use and value, and suggests how their utilization can be improved and controlled.

Keywords: Software monitoring of computer usage

Affiliations:  1: LaMagna & Associates; 2: Microsoft.