The DA’s Office fights child abuse

Despite the efforts of the child protection system, child abuse still remains a serious problem. District Attorney Hynes has taken great efforts to prevent and investigate child abuse.  He created a Crimes Against Children Bureau in his office in 1997 in recognition that child victims of violent crimes have unique needs that require great care. The Bureau is the city’s only unit dedicated to prosecuting child abusers. 

Led by Ama Dwimoh, Chief of the Crimes Against Children Bureau, the office takes great efforts to protect victims from further trauma.

The Bureau prosecutes these cases with extreme sensitivity, making the victims feel comfortable, and helping the children heal in the aftermath of abuse. They also work closely to help educate the community about the dynamics of child abuse and to address the concerns of parents, educators and community leaders. In addition, for the tenth straight year, the Bureau collected gifts and distributed them to child abuse victims at a holiday party last December.

Unfortunately, most abused children never come to the attention of government authorities. Victims may not seek help due to fear or shame. So it is up to the community to speak up and alert authorities if they suspect child abuse. If you suspect that a child is being abused, you can make an anonymous report to the NYS Central Register Child Abuse & Maltreatment Hotline at (800) 342-3720. You can also call the DA’s Citizen Action Center at (718) 250-2340. 

A child abuse case dominated the headlines in the last year when a 7-year-old girl, Nixzmary Brown, was abused by her mother and stepfather. They allegedly beat, tortured and starved her during an extended period of time, leading to her death on January 11, 2006. They were indicted on murder charges, and the stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, is expected to stand trial later this month.

Here are some tips on how to detect if a child is being abused:

-         Unexpected absences from school

-         Afraid to go home

-         Sleeping disturbances

-         Eating disorders/ Malnutrition

-         Consistently hungry

-         Aggressive behavior

-         Poor hygiene

-         Inappropriate dress

-         Poor peer relationship

AMA DWIMOH: CRIME FIGHTER FOR CHILDREN

Ama Dwimoh is an Executive Assistant District Attorney and the Chief of the DA’s Crimes Against Children Bureau. She is well-known, nationwide, as an expert on child abuse. She goes out into the communities to speak about child safety, prosecution, initiatives and legislation. 

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In 1997, District Attorney Hynes appointed Ama to create, staff and develop the Crimes Against Children Bureau, a specialized bureau which investigates and prosecutes all child fatalities and sexual and physical abuse crimes against children, with victims younger than the age of eleven. Ama prosecutes many of these cases personally. She also investigates such cases by interviewing child victims and organizes events for the children such as the annual Christmas party.

In December 2000, Ama, along with DA Hynes, created the city’s first Baby Safe Haven Program, an initiative that allows women to safely and secretly abandon their newborns without fear of prosecution provided that the newborn is unharmed. The newborns may be brought to a police station, hospital or firehouse. The baby will be given the proper medical care and personal attention until it is placed in an appropriate home.

Additionally, Ama currently serves on the Mayor’s Criminal Justice Task Force on Child Abuse, the Administration for Children Services (ACS) Coordinating Committee on Children, the Brooklyn Consortium for the Protection of Children, and the Advisory Committee for the Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center. She recently created Community and Prosecutors Responding to Child Abuse (CPR), a grassroots community approach toward the awareness and prevention of child abuse. Community leaders brainstorm about what solutions will work best within our individual communities, allowing Ama and her staff to gather this information and implement their ideas.

At the Kings County District Attorney’s Office we realize that keeping parolees from being rearrested is as important to crime prevention as putting dangerous criminals behind bars. Our innovative ComAlert program has had great success cutting down recidivism rates by providing parolees services, like job training and counseling. The news article below, courtesy of the National District Attorneys’ Association (ndaa.org), discusses some similar programs in other jurisdictions.
 

OP/ED: REFORMING INMATES SAVES MORE THAN MONEY

Dan Rodricks
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to nearly double funding - up to $93.9 million - for "anti-recidivism" efforts in his state, including more drug treatment, counseling and housing assistance for inmates upon their release. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, understands that meeting the primary goal of a state corrections system - protecting the public - includes keeping the worst criminals behind bars and reducing the rate at which other inmates commit crimes once they return to society.

That second part is just as important as the first, but it has been neglected for decades. We took correction out of corrections years ago, and the results include a revolving door of criminality (particularly drug offenses), dangerous and overcrowded prisons, new prisons and the ever-rising costs of incarcerating hundreds of thousands of men and women, including the mentally ill and drug-addicted.

Schwarzenegger is not the only governor experiencing "anti-recidivism" enlightenment.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.rodricks15feb15,1,795968,print.column