Monday, March 4, 2013

Penalties for Falsely Reporting Child Abuse - ChildLaw Blog

Penalties for Falsely Reporting Child Abuse - ChildLaw Blog

The Jerry Sandusky criminal trial is over; the civil lawsuits are in active settlement mode. Undoubtedly, the entire country is more tuned into child abuse than it ever was. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that about 105 bills on the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect have been introduced in 2012 legislative sessions in 30 states and the District of Columbia. 1 All of them include a penalty for failing to report suspected child abuse.

Note: It is not always the case that those who file false reports of child abuse and/or neglect will be held accountable; particularly for false reports made by those in education. One classic example in New York State, where numerous agencies/individuals made every effort to cover-up the filing of false allegations and misuse of state agencies, among other things: City of North Tonawanda School District Files Second Charge of Educational Neglect to NYS Office of Children & Family Service.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The author omits two key points.
(1) What is the size of the false reporting problem? What do studies show about the percentage of false child abuse reports?
(2) Where is the research showing that the repercussions are "traumatizing and stigmatizing" to the child?