2012, Children and Family Research Center.
Importance of research
• Criminal justice response to child maltreatment is important but complex and not well-understood
• Need data to understand it and inform policy
• However, development of policy and practice has not been data driven
• This presentation reviews a wide range of data relevant to policy and practice
• Most knowledge and discussion based on sensational cases that may not be representative
June 2012, Children and Family Research Center: In some cases, child abuse and neglect is a crime and law enforcement needs to investigate. Some professionals raise concerns that law enforcement and child protective services may interfere with each other’s work, but others suggest that police and caseworkers can provide substantial assistance to each other. One study found that families were more likely to receive a range of services when police were involved in child protective service investigations, even when differences in case characteristics were taken into account statistically. Link to Research Brief