Massachusetts Personal Injury News
Massachusetts Second in Nation in Child Abuse
Massachusetts has been struggling to stop the rising rates of child abuse in Boston. Every year in Massachusetts, child abuse and neglect produce 1,400 potential future violent criminals.
The state of Massachusetts has the second highest rate of child abuse and neglect in the country with 37,209 officially confirmed child abuse victims in 2007, which is up 1,000 from 2006. More than 800 of those child abuse cases occurred in Boston. State officials are expecting that number to increase 20 percent.
A report recently released by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, the number of child abuse cases indicates a disconcerting future for law enforcement. Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley stated, “Research shows that the brains of abused and neglected children become ‘primed’ for violence as they grow older, making them more likely to respond to mild triggers with violence and aggression for decades afterward.”
Officials believe that home visits by trained professionals can help parents who are at-risk. Unfortunately, programs that offer home visits have very long waiting lists due to the lack of funding. There is legislation that is soon to be heard by the U.S. Senate, known as The Education Begins at Home Act, which would provide $500 million in federal funds over three years to help states increase home visitation programs.
The report by Fight Crime showed that the annual costs from abuse and neglect are over $3.4 billion in Massachusetts. A separate study showed that home visitation programs can create savings of more than $27,000 per family served, on average.
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