Child abuse deaths up 11%

[Rose Siding]

AUSTIN – Legislators have heard yet another discouraging word on child welfare in Texas: The latest figures for deaths from abuse and neglect show a double-digit increase over the previous year.

Statistics compiled by the state Department of Family and Protective Services show that 204 Texas children died because of abuse or neglect in fiscal 2004, up 11 percent from 183 such fatalities in fiscal 2003.
...
Caseloads have soared to more than 70 per investigator, up from 56 in 2003. Mr. Perry proposes adding more than 800 investigators to reduce caseloads to about 45 – still far above the 12 recommended by child-welfare experts.
...
An analysis by The Associated Press showed that the rate of abuse and neglect deaths in Texas – about 3.3 for every 100,000 children – is 65 percent higher than the nationwide average.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021005dntexcps.4e539.html

[Skittles]

1. economic insecurities contribute to this

also lack of social recources - welcome to bush world, where funding for such things is considered a waste of money

[WildClarySage]

3. That is exactly right.

Battered women's shelters note those trends too. When people are out of work and stressed out, not only are they more emotionally inclined to be abusive, they have more time to be abusive as well. And the fact is that whenever the economy suffers, the first things to get cut are protective social service programs.

[MARALE]

4. I agree with this and

also the education system in Texas is terrible. The less people are educated, the less money they make and the more abuse that happens. Also alcohol abuse increases.

[applegrove]

2. Bush was there. Love them structural changes. But just so long

Bush was there. Love them structural changes. But just so long as it is not an abortion!!! ***hole!

[BOSSHOG]

5. If we could only stop homosexuals from getting married

then all this hardship on families would end. Oh wait, homosexuals can't get married. Now I'm so confused.

[Skittles]

6. and we know, too, BOSSHOG

that kids are better off in the state system than being adopted and raised by loving GAY duos. YUP. :o

[liberalhistorian]

16. ZING!

LOL, good one!

[Demeter]

7. Imagine If One Counts The Bush Child Abuse!

The youth slaughtered in Iraq, our side and theirs; the poor children and their parents that go hungry, sick, homeless, and uneducated so Bush can give out tax breaks; the ones who aren't going to college because the funding cuts make it unaffordable; I could go on, but what's the point?

GO DEAN!

[dandrhesse]

8. not surprising, frustrations over the economy and the state of the

country manifest themselves somewhere and usually it is the most defenseless of society who are the most often attacked. Bush can thank himself for all these kids being abused.

[xchrom]

9. compassionate conservatism at work.

and you shall know them by their Works.

[sinkingfeeling]

10. Yes, and Texas has all that 'old time religion' too. It's truly the

'model' for all us red states.

[Red State Rebel]

11. Advances in forensic sciences has made a difference too

For years, the deaths of abused children were not identified as murder because the science wasn't available to tell the difference between SIDS and suffocation, shaken baby syndrome, etc.

I don't doubt there has been an increase, but as a fan of Forensic Science shows on satellite I think credit should be given where it's due.

It would probably make you sick to realize how many people literally got by with murder of their children before the advance of these sciences.

[bobthedrummer]

12. It's like the Moloch myth.

[Straight Shooter]

13. Faith-based policies and "personal responsibility" in action

You can't change human nature. The sad fact is, some people take out their frustrations on those who cannot defend themselves.

Pro-birth activists, take note. Start paying attention to those whom God has already placed on Earth as a viable human, and maybe you'll be credible so that we'll pay attention when you start screaming about "the unborn."

edit syntax

[stanwyck]

14. again, you've mentioned that touchy subject

the connection between rising crime rates and availability of abortion. Where abortions are accessible, less crime. And where abortions are restricted, more crime. Especially child abuse and domestic abuse. We don't like to think about this...it's an ugly subject. But it's real. The pro-life folks need to REALLY be pro-life and think about the consequences. Or do they just skip past the news stories of children being burned with cigarettes, raped, shaken to death, bruised and battered? I guess being "pro-life" means ignoring the horrific reality of a high-minded ideology.

[PurityOfEssence]

17. Maybe Fundies LIKE it when people are nastier

It fits the world view that people are wicked little sinners, so to engineer a society with want and suffering would be to underline just how grim and base this earthly life is. Since so much of the mindset is also to "be better" than others, being surrounded by big meanies helps them get their virtue fix.

The connection between fundamentalism and social ills is striking, and lots of it is due to the denial of life: no fun, no sex, no joy, no admitting of some of our baser needs and desires all clamp down the lid on the pressure cooker of the emotions. Denial of anything earthly as inferior to what can't be seen is a recipe for insanity, and since most people have some issues to begin with, not addressing them and throwing in a lot of fantasy leads to some dangerous things.

The administration, especially with this faith-based crap, is helping it along: take away all protections, economically terrorize and subjugate everyone, and drive up the need for reassurance and comfort. Then, remove all forms of comfort except god-cults, and the people are your willing slaves.

[MountainLaurel]

18. Damn

I'd never thought of the issue in those terms before: that the fundies NEED people to be mean, to be evil to one another, in order to justify their theory of all humans being sinners who are deserving of hellfire from birth. It makes so much sense: If people can love one another, be moral, and generally harm none WITHOUT being believers, what's the point of their whole "you need Jesus" fetish.

Great points there, Purity!

[Kber]

20. My sister calls them "People Haters"

I call them "Fetus Loving People Haters" whose concern for the sanctity of life begins at conception and ends at birth.

[stillcool]

15. Surprise, surprise....

and it won't get any better any time soon. Imagine the veterans lucky enough to come home to their families. What kind of world will they be teaching their children about? Talk about social insecurity!

[superconnected]

19. and this year they have a mandate to beat their children