Take Action Today--Maryland State Senate votes on SB796!

CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW AND TELL THEM TO PASS THIS IMPORTANT LEGISLATION!

Use this spreadsheet to find your Senator's phone number in Annapolis and call today--with your help we can pass this bill! (Don't know who your Senator is? Click here to find out.)

SEX OFFENDER LAWS WON'T HELP UNLESS OFFENDERS ARE CONVICTED

Child Advocacy Centers like BCAC help child abuse victims and help convict sex offenders.

There are 82 bills in Annapolis all responding to sex offenders after they have been convicted – SB 796/HB 1043 is the only bill that seeks to do something at the beginning of the process and is the only bill to directly help children.This bill will provide state support for Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) so that law enforcement, social services and prosecutors all work together in an investigation at a CAC. CACs in law helps child abuse victims and helps convict child molesters. Passage of this important and landmark bill is not certain. There are 82 bills in Annapolis all responding to sex offenders after they have been convicted - SB 796 is the only bill that seeks to do something at the beginning of the process and is the only bill to directly help children. It will cost the State no additional dollars in funding (source: DLS Fiscal & Policy Note); in fact communities with a CAC save an average of $1,000 per investigation (source: National Children's Advocacy Center). Last year in Maryland, CACs saw 4,091 cases saving the State approximately $4 Million in savings.

SUPPORT HB1043 / SB796 - Child Advocacy Centers

 Ensure that CACs continue to exist and respond to child sexual abuse by placing them in statute. Child Advocacy Centers (CAC's) are currently discretionary. Placing the CAC's in statute prevents their elimination and helps assure that investigations in child sexual abuse cases are handled by experts.

 Help establish and support developing CAC's so sexually abused children in all communities have access to CAC's.

  Allocate unspent victim services funding to Child Advocacy Centers to help sexually abused children and to convict sex offenders.

Click here to read the text of SB796 

TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES THAT YOU SUPPORT CACs IN MARYLAND

Click here to find your State Delegates and Senators, and copy the message below in an email to tell our lawmakers how important CACs are to Maryland's children:

Dear ,

I am writing in support of SB 796/HB 104 to require the Department of Human Resources and the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention to establish and sustain Child Advocacy Centers in Maryland. The work done by CACs nationwide has had a proven impact on the effectiveness of reporting and prosecuting incidences of child sexual abuse. This legislation will provide law enforcement, child protection services, social workers, and all who work to protect Maryland's children with the resources to more efficiently serve victims of child sexual abuse and those at risk. SB 796/HB 1043 is an opportunity for Maryland to become invested in the safety and well being of our children, and I thank you for your support in passing this important legislation.

 Sincerely,

RESPOND TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE BY HELPING CHILDREN AND HELPING

PROSECUTORS

Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) are child friendly facilities where victims of child sexual abuse are interviewed, undergo medical examinations, and receive therapy at the same time that their cases are investigated for possible prosecution or Department of Social Services intervention.

CACs are child-centered, multi-disciplinary programs that bring together child protective services (CPS), local law enforcement, prosecutors, child advocates, and community service providers. CACs ensure that children are not re-victimized by the very system designed to protect them. CAC members are trained to interview children in developmentally appropriate ways that help children and stand up to cross-examination.

BCAC is a proud member of the Maryland Children's Alliance (MCA) a non-profit coalition of child advocacy centers. MCA and its member agencies work to create a child-focused system that protects children, collects reliable and admissible evidence, and prevents offenders from abusing again. For more information, contat Adam Rosenberg, BCAC Executive Director (410) 396-6147

 

Maryland Children's Alliance • PO Box 1112 • Bel Air, MD 21014 • 410-877-5376 • www.mdcha.org