A Practitioner's Guide to New Developments in Pennsylvania's Child Protection Laws

Abstract

In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal in 2011, the Pennsylvania General Assembly appointed a task force to review our child protection system. In 2012, the Task Force on Child Protection released a report which analyzed problems with Pennsylvania's system. The legislature responded by passing twenty-three new laws, many of which went into effect on December 31, 2014. The laws make dramatic changes in the area of child protection, but also reform the custody statute, crimes code, and school code. This article explores the impact the new laws will have on lawyers and their practice.

Keywords: Child Abuse, Pennsylvania

JEL Classification: K36