NCJ Number
107143
Date Published
1987
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This report of Pennsylvania's Family Violence Task Force, established by the attorney general in 1985, presents recommendations for changes in law and practice to afford children greater protection from abuse and better equip the criminal justice system to assist in this effort.
Abstract
The task force reviewed current professional, academic, and governmental literature relevant to child victimization, and it surveyed law enforcement, social service, and other interested agencies statewide to elicit issues, opinion, and recommendations. Task force findings address the scope and dynamics of the problems of abused and exploited children as well as missing children. The task force recommends ways in which the Child Protective Services Law can be improved to better protect children from abuse and to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of crimes against children; e.g., the task force found that the law's definition of child abuse affords insufficient protection to children at risk of serious injury but who have not yet been injured. Legislative recommendations pertaining to sexual crimes against children focus on more precise definitions of sexual abuse against children and increased sanctions. Other recommendations address enforcement, data collection, training, and public awareness. 250 notes.