Mandatory Reporting of Abuse

This is a concept which makes all the sense you can imagine. None of us wants to see anyone being abused. It sounds just the right thing to do to intervene by reporting abuse. I am starting to wonder if there are hidden problems with mandatory reporting. For example, our prisons are full of individuals and we do very little to help them change. Our way of reporting abuse also can shield some victims from having their day in court.

Perhaps we need to look at abuse as a public health issue utilizing restorative justice concepts. Here the solution is not so much incarceration although that is an option, but healing and changing lives. Let’s talk more about this in the days ahead.

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Mandatory Reporting of Abuse

Jim Prager

About the Author

I was incarcerated in Michigan from 1991 until 2000. Upon my release, I applied for and, in 2011, was granted a restricted Social Work license in Ohio. In addition, I have 16 years of re-entry experience working with offenders at Citizens Circles, 12-step meetings, and in houses of worship.

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