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Should NH make it a misdemeanor to intentionally make false reports of child abuse and neglect?

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Sometimes, reporting instances of child abuse can mean the difference between life and death for children in troubled homes. But what about when someone makes a report of child abuse in bad faith? For example, what if a relative falsely reports that a family member is abusing or neglecting their children, simply to humiliate them? A bill before the New Hampshire Legislature would seek to punish such bad faith reports.

Changes to the Child Protection Act

HB 108, introduced by Rep. Jim Spillane (R-Deerfield), makes two notable changes to New Hampshire’s Child Protection Act. First, the bill would allow a report of child abuse or neglect to include the name and contact information of the person making the report. This bill then makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally make false reports of child abuse and neglect. The name of a person making a report would remain confidential unless the report is "made in bad faith or maliciously and with intent to cause harm." Someone who makes a bad faith report could also be subject to civil penalties, which could allow the subject of the false report to claim damages.

Preventing bad faith reports

Unlike many other states, New Hampshire does not penalize individuals who knowingly make false statements of suspected child abuse to the relevant department, courts, law enforcement agency or social service agency. HB 108 would establish consequences for those who would make false reports in order to harass parents or otherwise weaponize the system. Importantly, proponents note that those who make good faith reports which turn out to be erroneous would be protected—their names would remain confidential on reports and they wouldn’t be guilty of a misdemeanor.

At the first public hearing for this bill, Rep. Spillane told the committee that the bill was inspired by a constituent who was being harassed by multiple false reports from their ex’s new girlfriend in an attempt to sway a divorce case. When asked how it would be determined that a report was made “in bad faith,” Spillane explained that it would be the result of a “preponderance of evidence.” In other words, if there was an obvious pattern of an individual making a series of false reports, they might run afoul of the law.

Supporters of similar laws in other states also argue that bad faith reports waste limited state resources, so this law would help focus state resources on children truly at risk.

Concerns of a “chilling effect”

Others worry that this new law could have a “chilling effect” on those considering coming forward to make a report. Reporters of child abuse might worry that their names could be unsealed, if their report was ruled to be “in bad faith.” This could reveal their identity to the accused abuser, creating an opportunity for confrontation or retaliation.

There are also concerns that good faith abuse reports can follow a similar pattern to bad faith reports; a neighbor might first notice that something seems amiss and call in a report, and then call in subsequent reports as they notice other problems. It might be hard to determine if the neighbor’s intentions were “good” or “bad” in this case.

Some also worry that people might hear about the law through the grapevine but miss the detail that only knowingly false reports would be punished. In other words, someone who suspects abuse is taking place might hesitate to report it if they are not 100% certain.

Opponents, who have struck down similar bills in the past, worry that HB 108 would ultimately deter people from reporting abuse or neglect, which in turn would have real world consequences for vulnerable youth.

Voice your opinion

The New Hampshire House gave this bill a thumbs up, meaning the legislation now makes its way to the New Hampshire Senate for consideration. There will be a public hearing on the bill on April 12 in Room 101 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord at 9 AM. If you wish to make your voice heard for or against this proposal, attending the public hearing is a great place to start. You can find a handy how-to guide about how to present at a public hearing on our website, here.

Comments

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Ali

Yes. I hear people say things like “but what if there’s real abuse and they are too afraid to file a claim?”. However, the amount of false allegations are large. What protections do parents with narcissistic families and jealous ex-best friends have if we don’t have a system of checks and balances to ensure the protection of families against false allegations? The answer is none. In a world where something like setting boundaries can lead to a false report made by an angry family member or friend, maybe the fear of getting caught making a false report would make someone think twice before doing so.

John

The issue isn't the chilling effect on reporting issues. The issue is that people are being abused by this reporting system.
If a person files a police report on something they observe, they can be accused of filing a false report. The same thing should be applied here as well. If someone *thinks* there is a problem, but DCYF discovers through investigation that there isn't an issue then that is appropriate. But if someone is falsely filing complaints, then this damages the whole reporting system and diminishes the manpower DCYF could be using to resolve an actual child in crisis. I have seen this firsthand. And I am appalled that DCYF cannot police their own reporting system. If someone is abusing the reporting system, then DCYF must be permitted to apply the same investigation they would conduct on the child's situation back upon the one making the report. For example, what if a teacher in a school were sending false reports on children they cared for? Either knowingly false or simply because of lack of training. DCYF should be able to report that person back to their supervisor and have them dealt with (training, lecture, or termination). These reports are only good if they can stand up to verification of both the source and subject involved. Anonymity can still be kept from the public, but DCYF must address abuse from the reporting side.

Kurt

Yes. The key here is "intentional". Charges would not be filed if there was any substance to a charge being found inaccurate. There are far too many allegations being made for wrong reasons and/or on very little evidence. The trauma to the family is far more than one might expect, and i believe parents deserve some protection for false claims.

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