Major New Government Report Shows No Progress on Child Abuse and Neglect, Research Shows Victims More Likely to be Violent Criminals

4/1/2004

From: Clay Wilkinson of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 202-776-0027 ext. 108 or 202-550-6172 (cell)

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new statistics today showing that 896,000 children nationwide were victims of abuse and neglect, and 1,390 children died from abuse and neglect in 2002 -- little change from the previous year.

"Every hour as many as 100 children in America are beaten, abandoned or violated. Criminals are not born. But child abuse and neglect can make criminals. Research shows that victims of abuse and neglect are at a far greater risk than other children of becoming adult criminals," said Sanford Newman, president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, an anti-crime organization of 2,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and victims of violence.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids calculates that based on the best available research as many as 35,000 of those children will grow up to become violent criminals who would never have become so if not for the abuse and neglect they endured as children.

"We can never erase the scars from child abuse and neglect, but we can stop it from destroying more lives," added Newman. "There is strong scientific evidence that home visiting programs and parent coaching clearly save lives, reduce crime and lessen the burden on taxpayers. The proof is in the programs -- it's time for the federal government to invest wisely in our children's future now."

Research shows that home visitation programs cut child abuse and neglect by 80 percent in the first two years of services. Home visiting programs feature nurses and other trained providers coaching families in parenting and other skills. Children whose mothers did not participate in the Nurse Family Partnership, a home visiting program, were five times more likely to be abused or neglected compared to children whose parents did receive coaching. Also, the children not in the program had twice as many arrests when they grew up than those who did participate.

According to a study by the RAND Corporation, home visiting programs reduce violence and save taxpayers four dollars for each dollar invested. Child abuse and neglect costs America upwards of $80 billion a year -- two-thirds of those costs are crime related.

More information on child abuse and neglect and home visiting is available at http://www.fightcrime.org.