To the editor:
Law enforcement leaders in Maine and across the nation know that one of the most powerful weapons we have against crime are quality investments in kids which give them the right start in life. We know, through research and our front-line experience, that getting in front of the problem is the best way to keep them from being placed in the back of a cruiser. Now, as Sen. Olympia Snowe and her Senate Finance Committee colleagues consider proposals for reforming our health care system, we hope they will ensure that any health reform legislation includes essential investments in kids with proven health outcomes that also reduce crime and violence.
From law enforcement’s point of view, there are three key elements that should be included: home visits, drug and alcohol treatment for pregnant women, and children’s mental, emotional and behavioral health.
Each year, well over 2 million children in America are abused or neglected, including more than 3,500 here in Maine. Nationally, more than 1,700 children die from abuse and neglect. Although most victims of neglect are able to live productive lives, some aren’t so lucky. Based on the number of confirmed cases of abuse and neglect in just one year, research shows that 30,000 children in America and 150 children in Maine will become violent criminals as a direct result of the abuse and neglect they endured.
One program that provides intensive parent coaching for at-risk new moms was shown to cut abuse and neglect in half, cut arrests by 60 percent, and save more than $18,000 for every high-risk family it served. The Administration has proposed a new funding program to support the establishment and expansion of this type of “home-visiting” program in Maine and other states. It is my hope that Congress will support it. My colleagues and I in law enforcement have asked Sen. Snowe to help promote this program by making it part of the health reform legislation the finance committee is currently considering.
In addition to the child abuse and neglect prevention that is part of home-visiting, the trained professionals that perform these visits are also able to screen for mental illness, alcoholism in the home as well as promote critical pre-natal and well-baby care which saves money in the long run.
As a law enforcement leader who has seen too many kids grow up to become criminals, I hope Congress will write health care legislation that includes evidence-based home visiting programs, provides coverage for pregnant women, and gives children access to the mental, emotional, and behavioral health care they need. These are life and money saving investments that will help at-risk children around the nation and make our communities safer.
Chief Butch Asselin
Houlton Police Department
