Bolinsky Strengthens Laws on Reporting Child Abuse

HARTFORD- State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky of Newtown applauded and co-sponsored legislation passed by the House of Representatives which strengthens the penalties associated with an individual’s failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect.

This bill makes it a form of risk of injury to a child for a person to intentionally and unreasonably interfere with or prevent a person who is required to report suspected child abuse and neglect (a mandated reporter) from carrying out this obligation.

The bill also makes it a crime for mandated reporters to fail to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Currently, failing to report offenders face fines between $ 500 and $ 2,500 and makes it a class A misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to $ 2,000, or both. As under existing law, these reporters must also participate in an educational and training program.

“Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility and we’re all becoming more and more familiar with the practice of “See Something, Say Something”.  In recent years, abuse cover-ups, like the one that went on for years at Penn State have demonstrated the devastating consequences of individuals and institutions putting their reputations above the interests of children,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

One investigation in the wake of Penn State scandal found that very few individuals are ever charged with failure to report, regardless of the associated penalties. In Connecticut, only fifteen people have been cited for failure to report. In the past decade and all but two of these cases were dropped.

“When mandated reporters fail to report abuse and neglect, it is often because they do not understand their obligations. By educating them about it, mandated reporters can address these issues and know the best ways to respond to abused children in a manner that is supportive, that does not cause further trauma, and that does not harm future criminal investigations, said Rep. Bolinsky.