New York City's Top Prosecutors Speak Out Against Child Abuse in Daily News Op-Ed

D.A.'s from Five Boroughs support funding for Nurse-Family Partnership to protect kids from abuse, reduce juvenile crime, save taxpayers money

NEW YORK, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Seven district attorneys representing all five New York City boroughs, Onondaga and Monroe Counties took a stand against child abuse and neglect Wednesday through the pages of the New York Daily News. The op-ed in the Daily News expressed their concerns about the 77,000 New York children who were victims of abuse and neglect in 2010, including at least 114 who died.

The district attorneys pointed to personal experiences prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases and emphasized that the deadly effects of child abuse and neglect affect the youngest, most vulnerable children the most.

"Nationally, nearly 80 percent of children who died as a result of abuse or neglect in 2010 were three years old or younger and almost half were infants less than one year old," they wrote.

They urged greater support for the Nurse-Family Partnership, a maternal health and early childhood development service that pairs first-time pregnant mothers and young families with a registered nurse on a voluntary basis. Research shows that this approach can cut cases of abuse and neglect by as much as half, improve child safety and reduce later juvenile crime. The op-ed stated support for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent budget request before the state Senate for $5 million in funding for the Nurse-Family Partnership.

"We have a moral obligation to protect children from child abuse. It's also in the best interests of public safety and fiscal prudence, and we urge the Legislature to make resources for the prevention effort a top priority."

The seven prosecutors signing the op-ed were from New York City's five boroughs -- Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island -- and the counties of Munroe and Onondaga. They are all members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, the national anti-crime organization of 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, which is launching a nationwide campaign in April to support the prevention of child abuse through voluntary home-visiting. Read the entire op-ed here.

Learn more at www.fightcrime.org

Learn more about the Nurse-Family Partnership in New York.

SOURCE Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

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