RE: cost of child abuse

["Peggy Polinsky" <ppolinsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Sandi - thanks for your information.  Yes, I am aware of the PCAA and
Urban Institute reports.  However, I am looking for "lifetime cost" related
to the abuse, per child.  In other words, if a child is abused at a young
age and lives with the consequences for 60 years - needing special medical,
psychological, and/or social interventions - what is the monetary cost to
society, compared to the life of a child who has not been abused?  I am
really unsure of the parameters here because I can't find the source of the
1990 Univ. of Minnesota quote of a lifetime cost of $2 million per abused
child per year.

Margaret (Peggy) L. Polinsky, MSW, PhD
Director of Research
Parents Anonymous(r) Inc.
675 West Foothill Blvd., Suite 220
Claremont, CA 91711
Tel:  909-621-6184, Ext. 213
Fax: 909-625-6304
E-mail: ppolinsky@parentsanonymous.org

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	owner-CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu
[mailto:owner-CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu]  On Behalf Of Sandi
McLeod
Sent:	Wednesday, September 05, 2001 12:06 PM
To:	Child Maltreatment Researchers
Subject:	re: cost of child abuse

Dear Peggy,

In April, 2001, Prevent Child Abuse America released a report that was
funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Total Estimated Cost of Child
Abuse and Neglect in U. S.  The report estimates that the U. S. "spends $258
million each day as a direct or indirect result of the abuse of our nation's
children".  The report is available online at
http://www.preventchildabuse.org.

Also, you might be interested in a 2001 report released by the Urban
Institute, The Cost of Protecting Vulnerable Children II:  What Has Changed
since 1996 (Roseana Bess, Jacob Leos-Urbel and Rob Geen), available at
http://newfederalism.urban.org/fiscal.html.

I hope this is helpful information.

Sandi McLeod

Sandi McLeod, Special Initiatives/Media Relations
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse & Neglect Information
(800) 394-3366, ext. 352
mcleods@calib.com