Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - 5:45pm
DE adds child abuse crime to existing laws
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| Hear Deputy AG Patty Daily Lewis on SB 234. |
Delaware tailors existing laws to better protect young children.
Senate Bill 234 creates the crime of child abuse and three tiers of charges.
Third degree child abuse could land you a year in prison. The law also looks for patterns of abuse.
Deputy Attorney General Patty Dailey Lewis says this law isn't meant to attack good parents.
"Parents have a right to use physical discipline on their child, but that physical discipline has to be reasonable and moderate given multiple circumstances including the age of the child, the physical condition of the child," says Daily Lewis.
Click here to listen
She points to an extreme case.
"For example, a homicide that we have pending right now of a toddler, beaten so badly that te artery that feeds blood to her colon was ruptured. I'm quite sure, it would be, 'We were spanking this child,' where's the line?" she asks.
Click here to listen
Dailey Lewis says adults have the ability to defend themselves and children don't -- that's why these special protections are needed.
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