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Multi-Jurisdictional Effort To Minimize Danger Of Sex Offenders

Law enforcement officers with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) recently joined Gov. Rick Perry, State Representative Senfronia Thompson, and Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw at an event announcing a new initiative to crack down on the State’s most dangerous sex offenders.
 
Under the plan, the OAG, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and local law enforcement will create joint Sex Offender Parole Violation Apprehension Teams, which will locate and arrest high-risk sex offenders who have violated the terms of their parole. These teams will also coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to conduct additional registration compliance checks on high-risk sex offenders.
 
The State’s new, multi-jurisdictional approach continues our Fugitive Unit’s traditional approach of working with the TDCJ and other law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest fugitives who have a history of sex crimes against children – specifically those offenders who have violated parole or sex offender registration requirements. Parole violations include failing to report to parole officers or being present in areas that might allow offenders access to young children. Since our Fugitive Unit was launched in August 2003, it has arrested more than 1,900 fugitives.
 
The initiative announced last month builds on the success of recent initiatives, like the Texas Ten Most Wanted Sex Offender list. In September, the Fugitive Unit, the DPS and the U.S. Marshals Service successfully located and arrested one of the State’s Ten Most Wanted Sex Offenders: David Ross Baxley. Baxley had been wanted in Texas since 2003 and in New Mexico since 2006. Investigators discovered Baxley had been living in Texas under an assumed name since 2006. State and federal law enforcement officials arrested Baxley in Vidor, Texas.
 
Baxley’s arrest marked the third time our Fugitive Unit helped secure the arrest of a Top Ten Most Wanted offender in the last six weeks. Earlier in September, the Fugitive Unit located and arrested Michael Brian McCollum in Hurst. Fugitive Unit investigators also recently located Joel Burt Thompkins in New York. After investigating and discovering the fugitive’s location, our officers provided logistical assistance to the New York Police Department, which arrested Thompkins on Aug. 20. Both McCollum and Thompson were on DPS’ Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
 
Our recent successes follow a restructuring effort at the OAG. In August, we established a separate, independent command structure for the agency’s more than 140 peace officers. As a result, the OAG’s peace officers and the staff assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division now report to a fellow peace officer – rather than to a prosecutor.
 
To achieve this, we created a new senior-level position, the Director of Law Enforcement, and recruited a 30-year law enforcement veteran to fill the position. Our first-ever Director of Law Enforcement is Clete Buckaloo, a lifelong peace officer and 20-year Texas Ranger.
 
Director Buckaloo first received his commission as a DPS Trooper in April 1978. A little more than three years later, he became a DPS Narcotics Agent and six years after that joined the Texas Rangers at the age of 30. Although he retired from the Department as a Captain in 2007, he rejoined the Rangers earlier this year with the same rank. A graduate of Sul Ross State University, Director Buckaloo was honored by his alma mater as a distinguished alumnus in 2002.
 
As the OAG’s Director of Law Enforcement, Captain Buckaloo oversees the Fugitive Unit, the Cyber Crimes Unit, the Special Investigations Unit, the Facilities Security Unit, the Criminal Litigation Unit and the Professional Standards Unit. Director Buckaloo will also coordinate the Fugitive Unit’s work with DPS, TDCJ and local law enforcement as they create the new Sex Offender Parole Violation Apprehension Teams.
 
Perhaps more importantly, after three decades as a commissioned peace officer, Director Buckaloo has a long history of working with law enforcement agencies across the state to help protect Texas families. With his arrival, there is an even greater focus on cooperation and collaboration with local law enforcement – because all Texans benefit when local, state and federal agencies join forces and combine our resources to protect the communities we serve.

Published: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 3:37 PM CDT

A mental health counselor at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Laredo-Webb County sees 15 to 20 new cases of sexual abuse each week. That’s a grim reminder that the problem is very much alive in Laredo, said counselor Amanda Aleman. Working with children and parents, Aleman comes in contact with victims from all walks of life. The difference has been that the city has seen a 54 percent increase in sexual abuse reports since the inception of the center in 1995. This year alone, the center has helped 726 children. Taking part in a statewide effort to increase awareness of the center and its services, organizers launched the “One with Courage” campaign in mid-September. “This launching gives us an opportunity to take it to a greater level,” said Sylvia Bruni, Children’s Advocacy Center director, during a news conference. “We can go beyond our teachers and go to the entire community.” Taking a public service announcement approach meets the center’s mission to break the cycle of child abuse through community education.

Seeking truth

Included in that education is teaching the public about the myths of sexual abuse. One of those myths is that the abuser must appear abnormal. “The person can be very charismatic, seemingly have a normal job and function like a normal adult,” Aleman said. “Things to pick up on is if the person is always wanting to have access to children. They primarily look to have a position where they have access to a child. You may have men who remarry women who were previously abused themselves and have children.” 406th District Court Judge Oscar “O.J.” Hale agreed with Aleman’s assessment and said the public should be vigilant and informed. “I don’t think there is a trend,” said Hale, who has seen 95 percent of local sexual abuse cases in his courtroom during the past six years. “Anyone can be a victim — anyone can be a defendant, for that matter,” the judge said. “Anyone can be a predator. There is really not a definition of a stereotype. It can be anyone. I think that’s what people need to know.
The community needs to know that there are resources out there.”

Courtroom changes

In January, sexual abuse cases will be spread among all the district courts, including the 111th District Court, which traditionally has dealt primarily with civil matters. “We’ll be able to have these cases go to trial faster — both for the victim’s sake and the defendant’s sake. Everybody gets their day in court,” said Hale. “With all the district courts handling these cases, it should allow for a faster disposition of justice.” According to statewide statistics one in four girls are sexually abused before reaching 18, and one in six boys are abused by the same age. Of those children, only one in 10 will report the abuse. In 2009, 98 sexual assault cases were prosecuted in the local court system, with 94 ultimately ending in convictions. How can sexual abuse in a child be spotted? “What I mostly see is withdrawing and being aggressive and not knowing why,” Aleman said. “The only thing I can tell parents is that if you have an instinct or a gut feeling, it’s probably right.”

(Denise Blaz may be reached at 728-2547 or dblaz@lmtonline.com)

© 2007 Prevent Child Abuse America

This report was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts 1

Prevent Child Abuse America,  Chicago, Illinois

Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States

Ching-Tung Wang, Ph.D. and John Holton, Ph.D.

Child abuse and neglect are preventable, yet each year in the United States, close to one million children are confirmed victims of child maltreatment. An extensive body of research provides promising and best practices on what works to improve child safety and well-being outcomes and reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. These efforts are essential as child abuse and neglect have pervasive and long-lasting effects on children, their families, and the society. Adverse consequences for children’s development often are evident immediately, encompassing multiple domains including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. For many children, these effects extend far beyond childhood into adolescence and adulthood, potentially compromising the lifetime productivity of maltreatment victims (Daro, 1988). It is well documented that children who have been abused or neglected are more likely to experience adverse outcomes throughout their life span in a number of areas:

• Poor physical health (e.g., chronic fatigue, altered immune function, hypertension, sexually transmitted diseases, obesity);

• Poor emotional and mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and attempts, post-traumatic stress disorder);

• Social difficulties (e.g., insecure attachments with caregivers, which may lead to difficulties in developing trusting relationships with peers and adults later in life);

• Cognitive dysfunction (e.g., deficits in attention, abstract reasoning, language development, and problem-solving skills, which ultimately affect academic achievement and school performance);

• High-risk health behaviors (e.g., a higher number of lifetime sexual partners, younger age at first voluntary intercourse, teen pregnancy, alcohol and substance abuse); and

• Behavioral problems (e.g., aggression, juvenile delinquency, adult criminality, abusive or violent behavior) (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006; Goldman, Salus, Wolcott, & Kennedy, 2003; Hagele, 2005).

The costs of responding to the impact of child abuse and neglect are borne by the victims and their families but also by society. This brief updates an earlier publication documenting the nationwide costs as a result of child abuse and neglect (Fromm, 2001). Similar to the earlier document, this brief places costs in two categories: direct costs, that is, Economic Impact Study (September 2007) those costs associated with the immediate needs of children who are abused or neglected; and indirect costs, that is, those costs associated with the long-term and/or secondary effects of child abuse and neglect. All estimated costs are presented in 2007 dollars. Adjustments for inflation have been conducted using the price indexes for gross domestic product published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov).

Based on data drawn from a variety of sources, the estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect is $103.8 billion in 2007 value. This figure represents a conservative estimate as a result of the methods used for the calculation. First, only children who could be classified as being abused or neglected according to the Harm Standard in the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3) are included in the analysis. The Harm Standard requirements, compared to the Endangerment Standard requirements used in NIS-3, are more stringent (Sedlak & Broadhurst, 1996). Second, only those costs related to victims are included. We have not attempted to quantify other costs associated with abuse and neglect, such as the costs of intervention or treatment services for the perpetrators or other members of the victim’s family. Third, the categories of costs included in this analysis are by no means exhaustive. As examples, a large number of child victims require medical examinations or outpatient treatment for injuries not serious enough to require hospitalization; maltreated children are at greater risk of engaging in substance abuse and require alcohol and drug treatment services; and youth with histories of child abuse and neglect may be at greater risk of engaging in risky behaviors such as unprotected sexual activities as well as greater risk of teen pregnancy. We were not able to estimate these types of costs as data are not readily available. Although the economic costs associated with child abuse and neglect are substantial, it is  essential to recognize that it is impossible to calculate the impact of the pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life that victims of child abuse and neglect experience. These “intangible losses”, though difficult to quantify in monetary terms, are real and should not be overlooked. Intangible losses, in fact, may represent the largest cost component of violence against children and should be taken into account when allocating resources (Miller, 1993).

References

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce. National Income and Product

Accounts (NIPA) Tables – Table 1.1.4. Price Indexes for Gross Domestic Product.

Retrieved September 4, 2007 from
http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=4&FirstYear=2005&LastYear=2007&Freq=Qtr

Child Welfare Information Gateway (2006). Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved January 30, 2007, from

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm

Daro, D. (1988). Confronting child abuse: Research for effective program design. New York: Free Press. Fromm, S. (2001). Total estimated cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States: Statistical evidence. Chicago, IL: Prevent Child Abuse America. Retrieved September 4, 2007 from

http://member.preventchildabuse.org/site/DocServer/cost_analysis.pdf?docID=144

Goldman, J., Salus, M.K., Wolcott, D., & Kennedy, K.Y. (2003). A coordinated response to child abuse and neglect: The foundation for practice. Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved January 29, 2007, from

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/foundation/foundation.pdf

Hagele, D.M. (2005). The impact of maltreatment on the developing child. North Carolina Medical Journal, 66, 356-359. Retrieved September 11, 2007 from
http://www.ncmedicaljournal.com/sept-oct-05/Hagele.pdf

Miller, R.M., Cohen, M.A., & Wiersema, B. (1996). Victim costs and consequences: A new look. The National Institute of Justice. Retrieved August 27, 2007 from

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/victcost.pdf.

Sedlak, A.J., & Broadhurst, D.D. (1996). The third national incidence study of child abuse and neglect (NIS-3). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC. Economic Impact Study (September 2007)

Total Annual Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States

Direct Costs Estimated Annual Cost (in 2007 dollars)

Hospitalization

Rationale: 565,000 maltreated children suffered serious injuries in 19931. Assume that  50% of seriously injured victims require hospitalization2. The average cost of treating one hospitalized victim of abuse and neglect was $19,266 in 19993.

Calculation: 565,000 x 0.50 x $19,266 = $5,442,645,000  $6,625,959,263

Mental Health Care System

Rationale: 25% to 50% of child maltreatment victims need some form of mental health treatment4. For a conservative estimate, 25% is used. Mental health care cost per victim by type of maltreatment is: physical abuse ($2,700); sexual abuse ($5,800); emotional abuse ($2,700) and educational neglect ($910)4. Cross referenced against NIS-3 statistics on number of each incident occurring in 19931.

Calculations: Physical Abuse – 381,700 x 0.25 x $2,700 = $257,647,500; Sexual Abuse

– 217,700 x 0.25 x $5,800 = $315,665,000; Emotional Abuse – 204,500 x 0.25 x $2,700

= $138,037,500; and Educational Neglect – 397,300 x 0.25 x $910 = $90,385,750;

Total = $801,735,750.

$1,080,706,049

Child Welfare Services System

Rationale: The Urban Institute conducted a study estimating the child welfare expenditures associated with child abuse and neglect by state and local public child welfare agencies to be $23.3 billion in 20045. $25,361,329,051

Law Enforcement

Rationale: The National Institute of Justice estimated the following costs of police

services for each of the following interventions: physical abuse ($20); sexual abuse

($56); emotional abuse ($20) and educational neglect ($2)4. Cross referenced against

NIS-3 statistics on number of each incident occurring in 19931.

Calculations: Physical Abuse – 381,700 x $20 = $7,634,000; Sexual Abuse – 217,700

x $56 = $12,191,200; Emotional Abuse – 204,500 x $20 = $4,090,000; and

Educational Neglect – 397,300 x $2 = $794,600; Total = $24,709,800

$33,307,770

Total Direct Costs $33,101,302,133

1 Sedlak, A.J, & Broadhurst, D.D. (1996). The third national incidence study of child abuse and neglect (NIS-3).

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC.

2 Daro, D. (1988). Confronting child abuse: Research for effective program design. New York: Free Press.

3 Rovi, S., Chen, P.H., & Johnson, M.S. (2004). The economic burden of hospitalizations associated with child abuse

and neglect. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 586-590. Retrieved September 7, 2007 from

http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/94/4/586?ck=nck

4 Miller, T.R., Cohen, M.A., & Wiersema, B. (1996) Victim costs and consequences: A new look. The National

Institute of Justice. Retrieved August 27, 2007 from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/victcost.pdf

5 Scarcella, C.A., Bess, R., Zielewski, E.H., & Geen, R. (2006). The cost of protecting vulnerable children V:

Understanding state variation in child welfare financing. The Urban Institute. Retrieved August 27, 2007 from

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311314_vulnerable_children.pdf

Economic Impact Study (September 2007) Page 5

© 2007 Prevent Child Abuse America

This report was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts

Total Annual Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States

INDIRECT COSTS

Indirect Costs

Estimated Annual

Cost (in 2007 dollars)

Special Education

Rationale: 1,553,800 children experienced some form of maltreatment in 19931. 22% of maltreated

children have learning disorders requiring special education6. The additional expenditure

attributable to special education services for students with disabilities was $5,918 per pupil in 20007.

Calculation: 1,553,800 x 0.22 x $5,918 = $2,022,985,448

$2,410,306,242

Juvenile Delinquency

Rationale: 1,553,800 children experienced some form of maltreatment in 19931. 27% of children

who are abused or neglected become delinquents, compared to 17% of children in the general

population8, for a difference of 10%. The annual cost of caring for a juvenile offender in a residential

facility was $30,450 in 19899.

Calculation: 1,553,800 x 0.10 x $30,450 = $4,731,321,000

$7,174,814,134

Mental Health and Health Care

Rationale: 1,553,800 children experienced some form of maltreatment in 19931. 30% of maltreated

children suffer chronic health problems6. Increased mental health and health care costs for women

with a history of childhood abuse and neglect, compared to women without childhood maltreatment

histories, were estimated to be $8,175,816 for a population of 163,844 women, of whom 42.8%

experienced childhood abuse and neglect10. This is equivalent to $117 [$8,175,816 / (163,844 x

0 .428)] additional health care costs associated with child maltreatment per woman per year.

Assume that the additional health care costs attributable to childhood maltreatment are similar for

men who experienced maltreatment as a child.

Calculation: 1,553,800 x 0.30 x $117 = $54,346,699

$67,863,457

Adult Criminal Justice System

Rationale: The direct expenditure for operating the nation’s criminal justice system (including police

protection, judicial and legal services, and corrections) was $204,136,015,000 in 200511. According

to the National Institute of Justice, 13% of all violence can be linked to earlier child maltreatment4.

Calculations: $204,136,015,000 x 0.13 = $26,537,681,950

$27,979,811,982

Lost Productivity to Society

Rationale: The median annual earning for a full-time worker was $33,634 in 200612. Assume that

only children who suffer serious injuries due to maltreatment (565,0001) experience losses in

potential lifetime earnings and that such impairments are limited to 5% of the child’s total potential

earnings2. The average length of participation in the labor force is 39.1 years for men and 29.3

years for women13; the overall average 34 years is used.

Calculation: $33,634 x 565,000 x 0.05 x 34 = $32,305,457,000

$33,019,919,544

Total Indirect Costs $70,652,715,359

TOTAL COST $ 103,754,017,492

6 Hammerle, N. (1992). Private choices, social costs, and public policy: An economic analysis of public health issues. Westport, CT:

Greenwood, Praeger.

7 Chambers, J.G., Parrish, T.B., & Harr, J.J. (2004). What are we spending on special education services in the United States, 1999-2000?

Palo Alto, CA: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved August 28, 2007 from http://www.csefair.

org/publications/seep/national/AdvRpt1.PDF

8 Widom, C.S., & Maxfield, M.G. (2001). An update on the “cycle of violence”. U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice.

Retrieved August 27, 2007 from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/184894.pdf

9 U.S. Bureau of the Census (1993). Statistical abstract of the United States, 1993 (113th edition.) Washington, DC: Government Printing

Office. Retrieved September 6, 2007 from http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/1993-03.pdf

10 Walker, E.A., Unutzer, J., Rutter, C. Gelfand, A., Saunders, K., VonKorff, M., Koss, M., & Katon, W. (1999). Costs of health care use by

women HMO members with a history of childhood abuse and neglect. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 609-613. Retrieved August 22,

2007 from http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/56/7/609?ck=nck

11 U.S. Deaprtment of Justice (2007). Key facts at a glance: Direct expenditures by criminal justice function, 1982-2005. Bureau of Justice

Statistics. Retrieved September 5, 2007 from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/tables/exptyptab.htm.

12 U.S. Department of Labor (2007). National compensation survey: Occupational wages in the United States, June 2006. U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics. Retrieved September 4, 2007 from http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/sp/ncbl0910.pdf

13 Smith, S.J. (1985). Revised worklife tables reflect 1979-80 experience. Monthly Labor Review, August 1985, 23-30. Retrieved

September 4, 2007 from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1985/08/art3full.pdf