NCJ Number
96239
Date Published
1980
Length
113 pages
Annotation
This study determined whether what happens to reported child abuse victims, their families, and the perpetrators differs according to which community organization investigates the incident.
Abstract
A history of community response to child abuse is presented, with particular attention to Oregon's recent legislation enacted to handle child abuse incidents. The implementation of this legislation is analyzed, and the authority and responsibilities of the law enforcement and social service agencies designated to receive and investigate reported child abuse cases are described; evaluative data on their performances are presented. Additionally, data are provided to support the study hypothesis that the disposition of abuse victims is related to the agency that investigates the cases. The general finding is that a larger proportion of the victims investigated by local law enforcement agencies (LEA) as compared to children's services divisions (CSD's) are removed from their homes, but the largest proportion of cases investigated jointly by CSD's and LEA resulted in out-of-home placements for the victims. More specifically, the findings support the prevailing observation that a punitive approach to child abuse is more likely when law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation of the cases. Data further reveal that cases in which law enforcement agencies participate are more likely to receive a definitive determination compared with cases investigated by social service agencies. Included are 94 references and 44 tables.