Maine Fact Sheet

Quick two-page fact sheet on child abuse and neglect

New Hope for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect in Maine

Child Abuse News

Too many of Maine's police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and other police leaders are arresting or prosecuting adults who they first met as victims of child abuse and neglect. In 2004, more than 4,200 Maine children were confirmed as abused or neglected. Though most abused or neglected children grow up to be productive adults, research shows that kids are nearly one-third more likely to be arrested for violent crimes later in life due to the abuse they endured. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids estimates that in Maine alone, each year child abuse and neglect produces 170 new criminals. The tragedy is that we can prevent most child abuse and neglect and reduce future crime. In-home parent coaching programs have been shown to cut child abuse and neglect in half. The programs provide a range of support to at-risk mothers before their child is born and through the earliest years. Nurses or other trained professionals help parents manage stress, understand newborn health and nutrition needs, identify early warning signs, make their home child-safe, teach practical steps to avoid hurting their kids and more. The program also saves as much as $4 for every $1 dollar invested. Yet, due to underfunding, the majority of Maine's at-risk families are not being helped. When kids are seriously abused and neglected, they need the protection of foster care. Research shows that leaving kids in dangerous homes where they face continuing abuse and neglect increases the risk by 27 percent that they will become violent criminals. Four out of 10 children who are seriously abused and neglected and left in their homes, but later need to be placed in foster care because of further abuse, commit violent crimes when they grow up.

Members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Maine educate policymakers and the public about the benefits of in-home parent coaching programs to prevent child abuse and neglect and cut crime. They have also examined the destructive cycle of parental drug abuse, child abuse, and crime, advocating proven drug abuse prevention programs to break this cycle. Their message has been published in numerous major newspapers across the state.

Reports

All Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Maine reports on child abuse and neglect prevention, in-home parent coaching and foster care:

"Apart from the human side that makes us want to care for these vulnerable children and provide them with good foster homes, there's also the self-protection side that should make us think about who we're sending into our communities."

-Sheriff Glenn Ross, Bangor Maine

Membership Info >

• A poor mother who had been abused or neglected as a child is 13 times more likely to abuse or neglect her children than mothers who were not abused.
• Children of mothers not in an in-home parent coaching program had more than twice as many arrests as the children of mothers who received services.