New York Fact Sheet

Quick two-page fact sheet on child abuse and neglect

New Hope for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect in New York: Proven solutions to save lives and prevent crime

Child Abuse News

Too many of New York'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. Annually, over 77,000 New York children are 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. 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, less than 15 percent of New York's at-risk families are being helped.

Reports

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

"I have never prosecuted a capital case where the accused had not experienced some form of child abuse or neglect. We need to be tackling this crime problem where it begins. We need to provide early investments in kids that set them on a trajectory of success rather than deal with the aftermath of their failure."

-Michael Green, Monroe County District Attorney

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• 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.