Protecting Our Children: Understanding Child Crimes

1. Chapter 10 Crimes against Children

2. Extent of the Problem • Since 1986, the number of children who are reported to be abused, neglected and endangered every year has nearly doubled to almost 1 million each year. • In 2000, 3 million referrals concerning five million children were made to CPS (Child Protective Services).

3. Types of Crimes Against Children • Kidnapping • Abandonment • Neglect • Exploitation • Physical Abuse • Emotional Abuse • Incest • Sexual Assault

4. Terminology • Minor: A child under the age of 16 or 18 • Sexual Seduction: Sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, cunnilingus or fellatio committed by a non-minor with a consenting minor. • Molestation: Any act motivated by unnatural or abnormal sexual interest in minors that would reasonably be expected to disturb, irritate or offend the victim.

5. Effects of Child Abuse • Emotional and Behavior Disorders • Teen Pregnancy • Prostitution • Substance Abuse • Delinquency and Criminality

6. Challenges in Investigating Crimes Against Children • The need to protect the child from further harm • The possibility of parental involvement • The difficulty of interviewing children • Credibility Concerns • The need to collaborate with other agencies

7. Justifications for Placing a Child in Protective Custody • The child’s age, or physical or mental condition makes the child incapable of self-protection. • The home’s physical environment poses an immediate threat to the child. • The child needs immediate medical or psychiatric care. • The parents cannot or will not provide for the child’s basic needs. • Maltreatment in the home could permanently damage the child physically or emotionally. • The parents may abandon the child.

8. Children LieMotivations for Lying • Revenge • Efforts to Avoid School • Parental Disapproval • Efforts to cover-up other Disapproved Behavior • Attempt to explain a pregnancy or abortion

9. Evidence of Child Abuse and Neglect Cases • Home Conditions • Clothing • Bruises • Medical Examination Report • Photographs • Ropes or Tapes • Trace Evidence: Hair and Semen

10. Physical Indicators of Child Neglect and Abuse • Frequent Hunger • Poor Hygiene • Inappropriate Dress • Consistent Lack of Supervision • Unattended Physical Problems or Medical Needs • Abandonment

11. Behavioral Indicators of Child Neglect and Abuse • Begging • Stealing Food • Extending School Days • Constant fatigue • Poor Performance in School • Truancy • Alcohol and/or Drug Abuse • Delinquency: Stealing • Stating there is no one at home to care for them

12. Emotional Indicators of Child Neglect and Abuse • Speech disorders • Lags in Physical Development • General Failure to Thrive

13. Physical Abuse Indicators • Unexplained Bruises or Welts • Burns • Fractures • Lacerations • Abrasions

14. Behavioral Indicators of Physical Abuse • Being wary of Adults • Being apprehensive when other children cry • Extreme aggressiveness or withdrawal • Being frightened of parents • Being afraid to go home

15. Parental Indicators of Physical Abuse • Contradictory explanations for a child’s injury • Attempts to conceal a child’s injury • Routine use of harsh, unreasonable discipline inappropriate to the child’s age • Poor impulse control

16. Physical Indicators of Sexual Abuse • Difficulty Urinating • Irritation or bruising of the genital area • Venereal disease • Pregnancies

17. Behavioral Indicators of Sexual Abuse • Unwillingness to change clothes at school • Withdrawal, fantasy or infantile behavior • Bizarre sexual behavior • Poor peer relationships • Delinquent or runaway • Reports of being sexually assaulted

18. The Suspect in abuse or neglect of children under five • Father 32% • Mother 30% • Male acquaintance 23% • Other relatives 6% • Stranger 3%

19. Munchausen Syndrome • Munchausen Syndrome involves self-induced or self-inflected injuries. • Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a form of child abuse in which a parent (usually the mother) deliberately provides false medical histories, manufactures evidence and causes medical distress in a child.

20. Other Non-criminal Explanations of Injuries • Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)