Reports of child abuse in the United States have increased following the tragic deaths of 6-year-old Zymere Perkins and 3-year-old Jaden Jordan in late 2016, a report says.
The Independent Budget Office (IBO) said Tuesday that reports of investigations of child abuse, and Family Court hearings have also gone up after the two widely-publicized abuse cases.
Perkins was bludgeoned to death with a broomstick allegedly by his mom’s boyfriend on Sept. 26 and Jordan died on Dec. 4, 2016 from injuries he allegedly suffered at the hands of his mother’s abusive boyfriend days after he had been beaten into a coma and left with a fractured skull.
The number of child abuse reports rose by 20 percent, from 19,980 in fiscal 2016 to 23,981 in fiscal 2017, although the number of cases increased by only 7 percent.
Spending at the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) also soared to $127.8 million in fiscal 2017 — up from $110.9 million a year…