NCJ Number
206845
Date Published
2004
Length
65 pages
Annotation
This task force report presents recommendations regarding three significant issues surrounding the legislative reform of California's Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA): due process, investigations, and definitions.
Abstract
Chapter 1 offers an introduction that explains the creation of the CANRA Task Force, provides an overview of CANRA, and presents significant legal challenges facing the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI), a centralized system for collection reports on suspected child abuse that was created by the Legislature in 1965. Chapter 2 reviews the work of the Task Force, which was accomplished through three subcommittees focused on the issues of due process, investigations, and definitions. Chapter 3 presents the findings and recommendations of the subcommittees. Chapter 4 presents the six general recommendations of the Task Force, offered in a question and discussion format and focused on questions emerging from proposed legislative changes. Chapter 5 presents the 17 proposed amendments endorsed by the Task Force and submitted to the Legislature. In all 17 proposals, the issue at hand is outlined, followed by a discussion and the recommendation. Chapter 6 considers the organizational placement of the CACI; the expansion of access to CACI in 1986 meant that CACI had a dual mission as an investigative database and non-investigative resource. It is proposed that the CACI database by separated according to its two distinct missions. Chapter 7 offers the minority opinion of a Task Force member regarding the due process rights of individuals listed on the CACI. This minority opinion holds that California law should offer a robust mechanism through which to challenge CACI listings due to the enormously stigmatizing effects of being listed on the CACI as a suspected child abuser. Chapter 8 presents replies to the minority report by two Task Force members.