Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children
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Bill Addresses Failure of Sex Offenders to Register
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Convicted sex offenders who repeatedly fail to register, or who provide inaccurate information when re-registering, would no longer face mandatory minimum sentences if a bill being considered by the House Judiciary Committee is enacted.
In 2013, the
Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee
began to study the massive expansion of South Carolina’s prison population and the growing percentage of prisoners being incarcerated for violating technical conditions of their probation or parole. In December 2018,
H.3322
was prefiled to translate the committee’s findings into reform of South Carolina’s numerous mandatory minimum sentences. In some cases, the existing mandatory minimum sentence for a crime would be replaced with a maximum sentence of the same duration.
Solicitors, law enforcement, and victim advocates came out strongly against the bill –
as reported by the Charleston Post and Courier
– and many details of the original bill have been amended. At the same time, advocates of reform have continued to make a passionate case for the reduction of sentences for prisoners now serving lengthy sentences for drug charges and nonviolent crimes, which
WIS-TV chronicled in a story
. Most of the changes made by the subcommittee have focused on the early release of such prisoners, but there has been no debate yet specific to Sections 117 and 118 dealing with registration failures of convicted sex offenders.
On Tuesday, March 26,
H.3322
is on the agenda for the
House Judiciary Committee
, which will meet 90 minutes after the House adjourns in the Blatt Building, Room 516.
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On the S.C. Legislative Radar
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Legal Standard for DSS at Trial
H.3915
would require the Department of Social Services (DSS) legal representative's decision in family court is to be based solely on the child's welfare and safety. The General Laws Subcommittee passed the bill with amendments that will be brought to the full House Judiciary Committee. Currently, lawyers from DSS are charged with representing the legal interest of the agency, while guardians ad litem are tasked with representing the child’s best interest.
Mandatory Reporting at Childbirth
A plan to mandate reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect related to an infant or fetus that is exposed to alcohol or controlled substances,
H.3729
, was scheduled for debate by the General Laws Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Extended discussion of other bills precluded discussion, which will be set for a later date.
All 50 states have laws and policies that specify procedures for making and responding to reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. Some states, including South Carolina, have laws detailing special procedures for protecting children that have been exposed to certain substances. The federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires states to enact policies that speak to the needs of infants affected by a controlled substance.
Tightening Background Checks
A subcommittee of the Senate’s Family and Veterans' Services Committee advanced two bills detailing additional background checks for persons working with children.
S.595
increases the scope and frequency of background checks for individuals working at childcare facilities, while
S.601
does the same for employees of group homes. Both advanced without amendments. The full committee will meet Wednesday, March 27, at 9 a.m. in the Gressette Building, Room 207 to discuss both of these bills.
Torture
A bill that defines child torture for early identification, prevents reunification, and strengthens prosecution will be taken up on the Senate floor. Previous bills were hampered by the challenge of reconciling legal and medical definitions.
S.189
specifies child torture as a pattern of assaults, psychological mistreatment or ignoring care that causes severe physical, mental or emotional pain to a child over a period of time.
Be There
- Tuesday, March 26: The Early Childhood Subcommittee of the Senate Family and Veterans' Services Committee will meet 30 minutes after adjournment in the Gressette Building, Room 308. On the agenda are S.291 (early development and education) and S.680 (child care center regulations).
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Annual Report Released for Recent Fiscal Year
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Children’s Trust released its annual report,
“Helping Communities Build Strong Families,”
for the 2018 fiscal year. The report chronicles our work to prevent child abuse and neglect, which includes supporting and delivering prevention programs, building coalitions, providing resources, and leading prevention training. The booklet highlights our prevention network across the state, and it details our impact and outcomes through the use of data.
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Home Visiting Summit Reaffirms Program Investment
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Children’s Trust, which is the state's federal grantee for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, hosted the 2019
Home Visiting Summit
in March at the USC Alumni Center. The two-day, biennial event provided a quality learning, networking, and systems building opportunity for home visiting and early childhood specialists in South Carolina.
Home visiting is a proven early-intervention strategy that pairs volunteer families with social workers, nurses and parent educators, who provide services throughout a child’s first two to five years to improve health, development, and early learning. During the event, Sarah Griggs of McLeod Health Nurse-Family Partnership was named the winner of the initial
Home Visitor of the Year
award.
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Congressional Hearing Set on CAPTA
The U.S. Congress has scheduled a hearing on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) for Tuesday, March 26 by the House Committee on Education and Labor.
The hearing, entitled
"Strengthening Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect,"
is expected to focus on the historic law and its ability to have an impact on promoting child abuse prevention and protection. One of the hearing's witnesses is Brad Thomas, the Columbia-based CEO of Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) America. Children's Trust is currently working to activate Triple P in Georgetown and Greenville counties.
Prevent Child Abuse America has CAPTA reauthorization as a cornerstone of its
2019 Federal Public Policy Agenda
. Children's Trust is the South Carolina affiliate for PCA America.
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Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children’s Trust of South Carolina is the statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. We provide funding, resources and training to help local program partners build strong families and positive childhoods. Children’s Trust leads the state’s coordinated efforts for the Strengthening Families Program; Triple P (Positive Parenting Program); S.C. Adverse Childhood Experiences Initiative; Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting; Child Abuse Prevention Month; Child Well-Being Coalition; and KIDS COUNT.
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