PENNSYLVANIA
Philly.com
SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
by MICHAEL RUBINKAM, The Associated Press
A nearly 40 percent increase in the number of reported cases of child abuse in Pennsylvania is straining the resources of county district attorneys’ offices, with one prosecutor saying her staff is overwhelmed by the rising workload.
Prosecutors say they support a 2014 legislative overhaul of the state’s child abuse law, which, among other things, expanded the definition of child abuse and made more adults legally responsible for reporting suspected cases of it. But they’re having trouble keeping up with the resulting surge in abuse claims.
In Centre County, investigators handled more than twice as many abuse claims in 2015 as the year before.
“We’ve become absolutely crushed by the increase in numbers,” District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said.
Pennsylvania lawmakers approved about two dozen measures in response to the child sexual abuse scandal involving former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Advocates say the overhaul was badly needed to help Pennsylvania improve its response to child victims.
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