NCJ Number
137428
Date Published
1989
Length
600 pages
Annotation
This volume presents legislative provisions dealing with child abuse and neglect that were signed into law as of December 31, 1988 in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Abstract
This edition consists of an overview of national trends in child maltreatment legislation during 1988, a summary of each State's legislative activities that highlights current legislation and provides easy reference, and the verbatim excerpted text of each law. Each entry includes an accession number, State name, subject heading, statutory citation, update information, and excerpt. The overview compares State legislative activity in selected areas including, inter alia, age limits of reportable children, appointment of counsel for parents, establishment and maintenance of a central register, child protection teams, and confidentiality of records. Other trends that are briefly summarized include criminal sanctions, definitions of abuse and neglect, rules of evidence, attorney for the child, protective custody criteria, reporting procedures, and waiver of privileged communications.