To the Editor:
No case is harder to accept than the homicide of an innocent child killed at the hands of an adult caregiver. Unfortunately today there are simply too many of these cases. That is why I have spoken out against the Governor’s proposal to cut state support for our regional Child Abuse and Neglect Councils.
If this cut passes, the state of Maine will be investing zero general fund dollars in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. At a time when our state is spending more than $800 million annually on child protection and treatment after abuse has occurred, we should carefully consider the need to do more, not less, to help keep children and their families whole and healthy and promote prevention.
Based on my own experience and the latest research, I can tell you that abused children are more likely to grow up with serious challenges that follow them into adulthood. Adults who have been abused as children are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, more likely to drop out of school, more likely to be unemployed, and more likely to end up arrested and incarcerated.
Research also shows us that about five percent of children who are abused will become violent criminals – committing the most serious crimes and ending up spending the bulk of their adult lives in the correctional system. Legislators and the Governor are well aware of these costs.
It is my hope that the Legislature will find the wisdom to remove this proposed supplemental budget cut.
Todd Brackett, Lincoln County Sheriff,
President, Maine Sheriffs’ Association,
and member Fight Crime: Invest In Kids
Wiscasset
