Of late, the DCFS (Illinois Department of Children and Family Services) in Chicago has been under fire for not properly enforcing child protection law. For example, children have died despite the fact that the department had already instituted proceedings. Many argue that the law was there to protect the victims,…
Articles Posted in Child Abuse
Crime and Punishment
The story of the defrocked priest, Daniel McCormack is back in the news. This time, because the prosecution has decided to drop the sexual assault charges against him stemming from a 2005 case involving the abuse of a then 10-year-old boy. In this case, the prosecution was seeking to have…
Corporal Punishment of Illinois Children: Child Abuse or Parent’s Prerogative?
The recent indictment of Minnesota Viking’s running back Adrian Peterson on charges of child abuse, which stemmed from his admission that he disciplined his young son with a switch, is raising questions over just what constitutes corporal punishment, and when it crosses the line from discipline to child abuse. Chicago…
Cook County Mother Convicted of Criminal Neglect in Death of Son
A Berwyn woman was convicted in May of three felony counts of criminal neglect in the 2011 death of her 14-year-old son, who was disabled. She had originally been charged with child endangerment, but those charges were dropped. The son, who had been found in the front yard of the…