The Division for Children, Youth and Families in New Hampshire underwent phenomenal growth from 1985 to 1995. The total budget increased 865 percent. During that growth decade, the number of founded abuse and neglect cases declined from 1,338 in 1986 to 822 in 1994. "DCYF officials insist that doesn't mean that child abuse is going down."
[Charts emailed below are best viewed with a non-proportional font.]
* Abuse/neglect assessments
o Substantiated cases
7000| *
| * * *
6000| * * * *
| * * * * *
# 5000| * * * * *
of | * * * * * * *
cases 4000| * * * * * * * * *
| * * * * * * * * *
3000| * * * * * * * * *
| * * * * * * * * *
2000| * * * * * * * * *
| *o * * * * * * * *
1000| *o *o *o * * * *o * *
| *o *o *o *o *o *o *o *o *o
0| *o *o *o *o *o *o *o *o *o
|___________________________________
86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94
(Cases for 1986 through 1991 reflect fiscal year totals.
1992 through 1994 are by calendar year. A change in policy
in 1992 resulted in a decrease in assessments involving
out-of-household perpetrators during subsequent years.)