Baby Doe Summary

Costin, Lela. (1996). The Politics of Child Abuse in America. Oxford, New York: Published by Oxford University Press. Retrieved from Kaplan University’s library at: http://books.google.com/books?id=B70rt3SyhtkC&pg=PA40&dq=Effects+of+child+abuse+in+America&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bpJ1UrbkOvLdsATO54DwAw&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Effects%20of%20child%20abuse%20in%20America&f=false.

Child abuse has been a big issue in the world for a long time. There has not always been child protective services like there is now. Children would be abused and neglected and nothing was being done because it was not being reported. The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was the world’s first organization in the late 1800s which was dedicated totally to child protection (Myers, 2008).

Mary Ellen’s case, in 1874, was one of the first cases of child abuse recorded. According to American Humane Association (2013), she was being abused by her stepmother. There was no such thing as child protective services or the department of family services. There was only the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Her story led to the founding of the New York Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Children (American Humane Association, 2013). In the 1960s’ child abuse was first recognized as a social problem;

The National Children 's Alliance reported that the number of unique cases of abused and neglected children in the United States stands at an annual rate of 700,000 and rising (as cited in ?U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,? 2016, p. ii). Sadly, this means that more than 1,900 new children become victims of abuse and neglect with each passing day. Neglect was the type of

1. ATTENTION GETTER: Millions of animals are abused each year. Over a million of these animals are abused or killed just due to the involvement with domestic violence. Despite animal cruelty being a felony which can result in jail time for over 15 years and 500,000 dollars in fines, it is still an issue which occurs on a daily basis across the United States. It is important for these animals to not go unnoticed, which can be achieved if society became more enlightened and educated on the topic of animal cruelty. (Pacelle, 2011).

The Book of David discusses how preserving families in some cases can cost the lives of innocent children. Richard J. Gelles was once a prominent defender of family preservation and believed that keeping troubled families together was what was best for the child. However, he changed his mind after he reviewed the tragic case of David Edwards, who was an infant killed by his mother after falling through the gaps of the child welfare system. David had an older sister who was taken from their home after obtaining juries leading to hospitalization. She was later removed from her parents care after they pleaded guilty to child neglect. A month after David’s birth, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards voluntarily terminated their parental rights and a year later, David was killed. Even with the red flags that the Edwards exhibited with the neglect of Marie, did not prompt social workers to monitor the welfare of David. The case of David completely transformed Gelles’s opinion of family preservation and how our child welfare system is fundamentally flawed and has to be changed so other children do not end up like David. He believes that David’s death could have been prevented and that the idea of family preservation should not be applied to every abuse case. Gelles claims that the child welfare system needs to be reformed and that family preservation does not need to be as strictly reinforced to all cases of child abuse or neglect. Throughout the book, Gelles

One of the worst things a parent can hear is that their child has been molested; learning those responsible is your child’s daycare provider is even harder to come to terms with. In August of 1983 the mother of a 2 year old boy reported her son told her he had been sexually abused by a day care provider. The accused was Ray Buckey, 31, the daycare’s only make employee and son of its owner. (Debenedictis, 1990) The trial became the longest and most expensive trial in American history. The trial left in its path 369 children claiming to have been molested in some way, along with Ray Buckey serving 5 years in jail throughout the 6 year trail which cost the American government more than 15 million dollars. (Reinhold, 1990) This trial brought light to whether a young child can actually be considered an expert witness, and ruined the lives of many of the day care’s workers. (Debenedictis, 1990)

In the nineteenth century, although society became a bit harsher on those who abused or neglected children and child welfare organizations mushroomed, child abuse and neglect were still not considered crimes (Hirschy, & Wilkinson, 2012). However, all through the twentieth century, the social perceptions of child abuse and neglect have shifted a great deal from something that was totally unacceptable to a demeanor that can no longer be allowed both in legal and social circles. But the criminalization of child abuse and neglect was only one step towards overall child wellbeing. There is still much more to be done to ensure that child maltreatment has been eradicated.

Every 60 seconds an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.

The origin of the association between animal abuse and domestic violence remains unclear as do the factors that make the connection. This connection between the cruelties could be better understood in a larger context of the human-animal bond. “The evidence demonstrating the importance of the human-animal bond in human functioning and well-being will make the strong relationship that many battered women have with their pets understandable” (Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty). Animals are a part of the home environment of humans. The bond shared between women and their pets make it possible for abusers to control women by abusing their pets. “The link between animal abuse and women

Animals are an important and valued part of many families and cultures. In many households, animals are considered members of the family, receive Christmas and birthday presents, and are cared for just as a human child would be. Opposition to animal cruelty has even become a sort of universal value in American culture(Kordzek 604). But animals are uniquely vulnerable to abuse, and despite this they still do not receive much needed protection from the law. The penalties for animal cruelty are not frequently severe enough to even deter one from harming an animal. This is dangerous not only for animals, but for human beings too. Animal cruelty and domestic violence have been proven to correlate in countless ways, and recognizing animal cruelty as a serious criminal offense and a form of domestic violence would serve to protect both animals and human beings from needless acts of violence. Instituting stiffer criminal penalties for animal cruelty and increasing the protective measures for victims of abuse is necessary to further the protection of both animals and human beings.

Each year, the most extreme cases of animal abuse receive media attention. Yet, the animal cruelty problem is more widespread than is reported in the media. Animal abuse and neglect is a nationwide issue, affecting thousands of animals nationwide. Cruelty to animals is defined as the infliction of physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, beyond what is necessary. There is a need to stop abusers from acting in such a horrific manner–preventing the neglect and suffering of the animals. What causes animal abusers to act in such a cruel way towards animals? How are cases of animal abuse being managed, and how should cases be handled? Finally, does the status of animals in society contribute to the rate of their abuse?

In the last decade, the views and forms of animal cruelty have changed. Many people have different views of an animal’s rights or purpose. Some people believe that animals have no rights and are a piece of property to be utilized by humans. To others, animals can still be used by humans, but they have emotions as well. A few people consider that only certain animals with high intelligence like chimpanzees or monkeys, should not be used by man, and they should have all the rights that man has currently (“Animal Rights” , 2009). Domestic violence has a correlation with animal abuse. In a survey, 71% of domestic violence victims also reported that their abuser also targeted pets/animals. The most common animals who are abused are cats, dogs, horses,

The social problems that face our country continuously surround our government. Politicians, although they attempt to avoid these issues are constantly in the eye of the public. Social problems can be determined as, “…some condition, set of events, or group of persons constitutes a troublesome situation that needs to be changed or ameliorated ”. In Barbara J. Nelson’s book Making an Issue of Child Abuse Political Agenda Setting for Social Problems, the author broke down the history of child abuse policy ensuring to depict the way in which this social issue became an agenda setting topic, how the media contributed to this issues grand impact on society and how the government made way and gave this issue the focus it needed. Throughout the book we learned about many important programs and policies that were set forth to help children facing child abuse. An important association that continues its work vigorously today, ensuring the safety of children is the American Humane Association (AHA). For this matter it is important to understand the importance of the history of child abuse as a policy and the role the AHA has had in regards to this policy and protecting the children of our nation.

“The seriousness of emotional deprivation: It is not difficult to understand how children who have suffered from malnutrition or starvation need food and plenty of care in their bodies are to recover so they can go on to lead normal lives. If, however, the starvation is severe enough, the damage will be permanent and they will suffer physical impairments for the rest of their lives. Likewise, children who are deprived of emotional nurturing require care and love if their sense of security and self-confidence is to be restored. However, if love is minimal and abuse high, the damage will be permanent and the children will suffer emotional impairments for the rest of their lives,” said by Mark Z. Danielewski, April 11th, 2014. The issue of child abuse dates all the way back to colonial times in 1809 before organized child protection began. Back in this time child abuse wasn’t recognized by people as a serious issue so many people were able to kill children without harsh consequence. For example in 1810 a woman was arrested for killing a newborn child and admitted to several people that she killed the baby, even so, she was found not guilty most likely because the jury thought was psychotic. Many children went without protection and were killed, raped, kidnapped, and tortured during this time and still this wasn’t seen as a high priority issue in the United States. It wasn’t until 1875 that the world's first organization that was completely devoted to child protection came