Taking the Fifth » 2011 » April » 04

BILL OF RIGHTS-- First Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.-- Second Amendment -A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed-- Third Amendment - No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law-- Fourth Amendment - The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.-- Fifth Amendment - No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.--Sixth Amendment - In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.-- Seventh Amendment - In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law-- Eighth Amendment - Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted-- Ninth Amendment - The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people--Tenth Amendment - The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people--.

UPDATED CHILD ABUSE STATISTICS

The University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center released its Updated Trends in Child Maltreatment which continues to show a decrease in incidents involving children.

The study which covers the period 1990 to 2009 shows a two percent decrease in incidents between 2008 and 2009. There was a five per cent decrease in sexual abuse in 2009. While the percentage of physical abuse and neglect cases did not decrease in 2009, the percentage of physical abuse cases decreased by 55 per cent since 1990 and the number of neglect cases decreased by ten per cent in the same period. The number of sexual abuse cases decreased by 61 per cent since 1990.

The decrease in sexual abuse and physical abuse is attributed to increased public interest, improved economy, more law enforcement and child protective service workers, and aggressive prosecution and incarceration in the period when the decrease began. But if economic improvement is to be credited with a decrease in sexual and physical abuse one has to wonder why the number of incidents has not increased with the poor economy of the past couple of years.
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