Child abuse beyond the family

Juvenile Law Center,

A dozen years after Dr. Henry Kempe and colleagues identified the “battered child syndrome,” the United States elevated national awareness of a largely hidden epidemic: child abuse and neglect. The 1974 federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)1 incentivized states to respond to pressing child welfare crises like child abuse by providing federal dollars to support prevention, investigation and prosecution, and treatment programs.

Child abuse is a form of trauma that affects millions of children nationwide.2 Like many forms of trauma, child abuse and neglect can have lasting effects on a child’s long-term mental and physical health and is frequently connected to later misbehavior or delinquency. In fact, all kinds of trauma, including child abuse, can cause physiological and neurological changes in a child’s brain that affects his or her behavior. Experiencing abuse and neglect during childhood is also a risk factor for serious juvenile offenses like physical assault.3

Youth involved in child-serving systems must be given opportunities to recover from their turbulent pasts.

In 1982, nearly a decade after CAPTA, President Reagan proclaimed April to be National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse – whether inflicted by family or state agencies – has been a focus of Juvenile Law Center’s work for 40 years, starting with the publication of the first edition of Child Abuse and the Law in 1977, representing abused and neglected children in Philadelphia Family Court during the 1980s and 1990s, and our work supporting state and federal legislative and policy reform.

But, the infliction of child abuse or trauma is not limited to family members. Public and private institutions, including residential treatment programs and juvenile correctional facilities, also subject children to dehumanizing and highly abusive practices such as solitary confinement; physical, chemical and mechanical restraints; and physical abuse.

As brutal institutional conditions persisted, Juvenile Law Center shifted our strategic focus to prevent harm caused by institutions that are supposed to help children. Juvenile Law Center has also led efforts to promote trauma-informed advocacy to ensure that youth involved in the child welfare and justice systems receive appropriate treatment but are also given the chance to recover from their turbulent pasts.

As we consider the causes and consequences of the many forms of child abuse this month, we must not ignore the harms suffered by children behind institutional doors. Let’s consider how we can help youth involved in child-serving systems remain safe, healthy, and on their way to becoming successful adults.

More information on our related work is available on our current initiatives page.


1 https://library.childwelfare.gov/cwig/ws/library/docs/gateway/ResultSet?upp=0&rpp=-10&w=+NATIVE(%27sti+%3D%22Index+of+Federal+Child+Welfare+Laws%22%27)&r=1&order=+NATIVE(%27year+%2F+descend%27)
2 https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/
3 http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/child-abuse/Pages/impact-on-arrest-victimization.aspx#note2

Image courtesy Stephen Liss Photography.