California is among the few exceptions to a nationwide failure to shed light on brutal child abuse cases, according to a national report co-authored by the University of San Diego School of Law’s Children’s Advocacy Institute.

The report, titled “State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S.,” graded states on how much information they release about fatal and life-threatening child abuse cases. California received an A- and was one of only six states to receive a grade in the A range. A press release announcing the report includes this quote:

“The current emphasis on confidentiality only masks the problems inherent in child protection systems,” said Robert C. Fellmeth, CAI Executive Director and Price Professor of Public Law at the USD School of Law. “Public exposure is a critical step toward fixing these problems.”

CAI specifically criticizes the practice in some states, such as Minnesota and North Carolina, of not releasing information about such cases unless someone is criminally charged.

Read the full report here.

EMILY ALPERT

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