AG Biden creates Child Victims Unit in Delaware

Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden announced the development of the Department of Justice’s Child Victims Unit today, to help streamline cases of crimes against children.

“This statewide unit brings together prosecutors, criminal investigators and other staff from across the Department of Justice into a unified team focused exclusively on protecting children who are victims of the most serious cases we face – homicide and other life-threatening violent crime,” explained Biden.

Currently, Biden says cases involving child victims are prosecuted by several units within the criminal or family divisions.

However, the DOJ was given extra funding in the FY 2014 budget to create two new positions to spearhead the unit, including an additional homicide prosecutor in the criminal division and a special investigator who will work with police and prosecutors.

Biden selected Josette Delle Donne Manning to head the unit. Manning has worked as deputy attorney general for the past 13 years.

“From day one I was prosecuting child abuse cases in the domestic violence unit,” said Manning during a press conference. “I look forward to that being my primary assignment. I have a great team that is comprised of people with expertise from both the family division and the criminal division. We will be statewide working as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other state agencies including the Child Advocacy Center as well as the Division of Youth and Rehabilitative Services and their investigative coordinator.”

Members of the Child Victims Unit will handle every step in the case from the initial police report to the sentencing of the offender.