The Budget Axe

In these  tough economic times apparently nothing is spared from the budget axe.  Gov. Granholm plans to cut $14 million in services that help to prevent child abuse.  The Law Enforcement group “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Michigan” issued a press release calling on the governor to reconsider these cuts.  The cynic in me says this group of public officials is more interested in preserving their funding than the impact these cuts actually have on curbing child abuse.    However, I have to believe that an ounce of prevention of child abuse is a worthwhile expenditure.  I think the best way of going about preventing child abuse is to deal with the root causes, such as poverty, substance abuse and lack of education.

I have re-printed the group’s press release below:

Law Enforcement Leaders Call on Governor, Lawmakers to Protect Children, Not Cut Funds

Sheriff Kangas: “Cutting parent-coaching programs is short sighted and a threat to public safety.”

CONTACT: K.P. Pelleran
State Director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
(517) 371-3565 communications@fightcrime.org

FOR RELEASE: 13 May 2009

LANSING — Michigan law enforcement leaders held a news conference today to call attention to the drastic cuts the Governor and the legislature have made to programs designed to curb child abuse and neglect. They released a report showing that voluntary home visits can significantly reduce cases of abuse and neglect and cut crime both in the short-term and in the long run.

“Cutting parent-coaching programs is short sighted and a threat to public safety,” Clinton County Sheriff Wayne Kangas, state co-chair of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Michigan said at a news conference held at the State Capitol. “If we prevent abuse and neglect, we can break that cycle.”

While most children who grow up in abusive settings go on to lead normal lives, those who survive abuse and neglect are significantly more likely to commit crimes and act violently, even at an early age. One study found that they were also thirteen times more likely to abuse their own children.

Of the 29,638 Michigan children who had confirmed cases of abuse or neglect in 2007, research shows that 1,185 will become violent criminals as adults who would have otherwise avoided such crimes if not for the abuse and neglect they endured.

The law enforcement leaders, all of whom are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Michigan, expressed concern that the deepening recession could leave even more children vulnerable, since researchers have found that growing up in poverty is one of the most consistent risk factors for abuse and neglect.

In the Executive Budget, the Governor recommended eliminating more than $13.6 million for the following child abuse and neglect prevention programs for FY 2010:

1. All state funding for the 0 to 3 Secondary Prevention serving 47 counties including:
• $4 million in the Department Human Services Budget
• $524,000 in the Department of Community Health (DCH) Budget
• $2,125,000 in the K-12 Budget
(more)
2. All state funding and Medicaid match totaling $2,022,079 for the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
program from Sec. 113 of the DCH Budget were cut. The NFP programs serve the following areas:
• Benton Harbor
• Detroit
• Grand Rapids
• Kalamazoo
• Pontiac

3. Last, all state funding, $5 million, for the Great Parent/Great Start program through Intermediate
School Districts was also cut from the Executive Budget.

The recent Executive Order by the Governor also eliminated all fourth-quarter funding for the Nurse-Family Partnership (state and federal funding totaling $505,800), and $1 million for the 0-3 Collaborative Grants.

Voluntary home-visiting programs send trained professionals to help at-risk families learn about the health, nutritional and developmental needs of infants and young children. A study of the Nurse-Family Partnership, a voluntary home-visiting program that sends registered nurses to work with new parents and expectant mothers, found that the program cut cases of abuse and neglect by half among at-risk families who participated. The visits also reduced later arrests of children and mothers by 60 percent.

“A little prevention goes a long way,” Howell Police Chief George Basar said. “By supporting families at the greatest risk early on, we can save ourselves the grief and enormous financial cost of crime. Most important of all, we can keep innocent kids out of harm’s way.”

Analysis by the RAND Corporation found that the Nurse-Family Partnership cut cases of crime, welfare and other costs so effectively that it saved the public $3 for every dollar invested. The law enforcement leaders urged state lawmakers to invest in home-visiting programs as a cost-effective measure against the cycle of crime, violence and abuse affecting Michigan’s communities.

“More often then not, we see a clear connection between abuse and neglect and later incidents of crime,” Lansing Township Police Chief Kay Hoffman said. “We are asking Michigan’s lawmakers to make home-visiting a priority. If we help strengthen families and get them resources early, we won’t see the same kids end up in the criminal justice system later on at an escalated cost to them and taxpayers.”

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© 2009, Melinda Deel. All rights reserved.

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