Marci Hamilton, a Professor at Cardozo Law School and columnist for findlaw.com, has written an excellent summary of the fight for expanded statute of limitations across the country. Hamilton provides a detailed legislative history and the particulars of various bills put forth by state legislatures. She also highlights the efforts made by interest groups to derail statute-expanding legislation and makes a strong case against them.
The Maturing of a Movement: Statute of Limitations Reform for Sex Abuse Victims [FindLaw]
An article published last week by the Bay Area News Group highlights a family court public forum held in Oakland. The piece also outlines the fight for family court reform in California.
Public officials call for major changes in family law [Inside Bay Area]
The New York Times published a fascinating article last week on distinguishing signs of child abuse from the usual scrapes, bruises and other marks that a child accumulates during his or her development. The author, Perri Klass, who is a doctor, identifies certain injuries that are inconsistent with normal child activity.
Among the signs of maltreatment are marks from foreign objects such as cigarette burns and belt marks. Klass also highlights other injuries that are cause for alarm including suspicious wounds and marks in unusual places—such as bruising around the neck, burns from scalding water or broken hymens.
The piece also highlights the emerging specialty of child abuse in the medical field. Klass quotes Dr. Carole Jenny, a pediatrics professor at Brown, who recounts her colleagues’ inexperience with the matter of child abuse back in the 1980s. He also highlights the work of Dr. Lori Legano who specializes in child abuse at Bellevue Hospital and has helped pioneered the field by combining pediatric word with the growing body of forensic evidence about child abuse.
The Marks of Childhood or the Marks of Abuse? [New York Times]
