Ohio Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Sen. Brown to Move Forward Legislation to Fund Programs to Reduce Child Abuse Cases and Cut Crime
Jul 11th 2007
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 11 - Ohio law enforcement leaders met today with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and urged him to move forward legislation that would provide federal funding for programs that reduce child abuse and neglect while cutting crime.
Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia Bates, Powell Police Chief Gary Vest, and Julie Bruns, Chief of the Juvenile Division in Montgomery County met with Brown in Washington. Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly and Westerville Chief Joseph Morbitzer participated via telephone. They asked Sen. Brown to support the Education Begins at Home Act, which would provide states with federal funding to improve and expand home visiting programs.
The law enforcement leaders are members of the anti-crime group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio. Brown is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that has jurisdiction over home visiting legislation. These programs send trained professionals to the homes of at-risk, first-time parents to provide them with support and information to better care for their children, even before they're born. These programs, which are voluntary, are also proven to cut crime.
"Having been in law enforcement for many years, I have seen many instances where the inability of parents to deal with stressful situations results in neglect as well as physical abuse," Bates said.
Citing results from a study of one model program-the Nurse-Family Partnership-Bates said high quality home visiting programs for at-risk families can cut cases of child abuse and neglect in half. It also reduces later arrests of the moms and kids by about 60 percent, and saves $5 for every $1 spent.
Research also shows that kids who are abused or neglected as children are 29 percent more likely than other children to be arrested for a violent crime as adults. Home visiting is one of the most effective ways to break this cycle of violence.
"Especially in today's economic environment where communities are cash-strapped, any programs which prevent children from becoming victims of child abuse and from becoming involved in later crime are needed more than ever," Vest said.
"If we are serious about helping our children to enter school and be prepared to avoid later crime, we have to equip their parents with the tools to help them do so, especially new parents," Bruns said.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a non-profit anti-crime organization based in Washington, D.C., with more than 3,000 law enforcement members. Ohio members include more than 200 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and violent crime victims.
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