SAFETY
Child Deaths
DEFINITION
Child deaths is the number of deaths from all causes to
children ages 1 to 14, per 100,000 children. The data are reported by
place of residence, not place of death.
SIGNIFICANCE
The child death rate is a reflection of the physical health of
children, the dangers to which children are exposed at home and in
the community, and the level of adult supervision children receive.
Medical advances in the prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses have led to a reduction in child death due to illness. However, the percentage of mortality due to injury has steadily increased.
In the U.S. and in Rhode Island, injury is the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 14. Of the 217 child deaths in Rhode Island between 1987 and 1991, 45% were due to either intentional or unintentional injuries. The three leading causes of injury deaths for children ages 1 to 14 were homicide, motor vehicle collisions, and drowning.
Figure 4-1:
Fugure 4-2:
Table 4-1; Child Deaths, Rhode Island, 1987-1991
Number
of children Child Rate Per
city/town ages 1-14 Deaths 100,000
-------------------------------------------------------
Barrington 3,139 5 31.8
Bristol 3,405 3 17.6
Burrillville 3,586 3 16.7
Central Falls 3,860 7 36.3
Charlestown 1,291 2 31.0
Coventry 6,009 7 23.3
Cranston 11,501 13 22.6
Cumberland 5,064 5 19.7
East Greenwich 2,290 0 0.0
East Providence 8,432 6 14.2
Exeter 1,209 0 0.0
Foster 949 0 0.0
Glocester 2,029 1 9.9
Hopkinton 1,489 3 40.3
Jamestown 897 1 22.3
Johnston 4,167 2 9.6
Lincoln 3,053 3 19.6
Little Compton 586 2 68.2
Middletown 3,806 4 21.0
Narragansett 2,278 0 0.0
Newport 4,546 7 30.8
New Shoreham 135 1 148.1
North Kingstown 4,854 4 16.5
North Providence 4,323 3 13.9
North Smithfield 1,784 0 0.0
Pawtucket 13,099 17 26.0
Portsmouth 3,263 3 18.4
Providence 30,219 64 42.4
Richmond 1,269 2 31.5
Scituate 1,878 3 31.9
Smithfield 3,103 1 6.4
South Kingstown 3,836 1 5.2
Tiverton 2,428 1 8.2
Warren 1,922 0 0.0
Warwick 14,376 22 30.6
Westerly 4,006 5 25.0
West Greenwich 727 0 0.0
West Warwick 5,168 8 31.0
Woonsocket 8,462 8 18.9
Rhode Island 178,438 217 24.3
Core Cities 60,186 103 34.2
Remainder of State 118,252 114 19.2
----------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on Table
Because nearly all cities have a low number of deaths, the death rates are highly variable. Cities should not be compared.
source of data for table
----------------------------
Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Health Statistics, 1987 to 1991. Core cities are Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Newport and Central Falls.
references for indicator
----------------------------
All data are from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Health Statistics, unless otherwise noted.
A Data Book of Child and Adolescent Injury (1991), Children’s Safety Network: Washington, DC.
Losing Generations: Adolescents in High Risk Settings (1993), National Academy Press: Washington, DC.
Teen Deaths
DEFINITION
Teen deaths is the number of deaths from all causes to
teens ages 15 to 19, per 100,000 teens. The data are reported by
place of residence, not place of death.
SIGNIFICANCE
Transition to adulthood increases risks to teens’ health and
safety. Factors contributing to teen deaths include risk-taking
behavior and the use of alcohol and drugs.
The three leading causes of all injury deaths to teens in Rhode Island between 1987 and 1991 were motor vehicle collisions, suicide, and homicide.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that while the rate of teen deaths due to unintentional injury, homicide, and suicide increased nationally between 1985 and 1992, Rhode Island’s rate decreased 12%.
Fugure 4-3:
Guns and rhode island Youth
From 1987 to 1991, there were 23
gun deaths among teens ages 15 to 19. Figures for 1992 through 1995
are not yet available.
From March, 1987 to October, 1992,
74 children were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Of these, 33 were
intentional injuries, 22 were unintentional injuries, and 19 were of
undetermined intention. Two-thirds of the victims lived in
Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket.
Of the children hospitalized with
gunshot wounds, three were younger than age 6, three were between
ages 6 and 11, and 68 were ages 12 to 18.
Figure 4-4;
Table 4-2: Teen Deaths, Rhode Island, 1987-1991
Number
of teens Teen Rate Per
city/town ages 15-19 Deaths 100,000
-------------------------------------------------
Barrington 1,004 0 0.0
Bristol 1,941 4 41.2
Burrillville 1,132 3 53.0
Central Falls 1,148 4 69.7
Charlestown 328 2 122.0
Coventry 2,139 8 74.8
Cranston 4,265 14 65.6
Cumberland 1,814 4 44.1
East Greenwich 808 0 0.0
East Providence 2,926 6 41.0
Exeter 350 2 114.3
Foster 289 2 138.4
Glocester 707 4 113.1
Hopkinton 458 1 43.7
Jamestown 284 1 70.4
Johnston 1,532 2 26.1
Lincoln 1,108 2 36.1
Little Compton 202 1 99.0
Middletown 1,130 2 35.4
Narragansett 782 0 0.0
Newport 2,228 8 71.8
New Shoreham 25 0 0.0
North Kingstown 1,594 4 50.2
North Providence 1,741 4 46.0
North Smithfield 722 0 0.0
Pawtucket 4,487 6 26.7
Portsmouth 1,062 2 37.7
Providence 14,583 50 68.6
Richmond 363 2 110.2
Scituate 686 0 0.0
Smithfield 1,848 3 32.5
South Kingstown 4,060 6 29.5
Tiverton 1,004 1 19.9
Warren 624 2 64.1
Warwick 5,258 12 45.6
Westerly 1,230 5 81.3
West Greenwich 259 2 154.4
West Warwick 1,798 6 66.7
Woonsocket 2,942 7 47.6
Rhode Island 70,862 182 51.4
Core Cities 25,388 75 59.1
Remainder of State 45,474 107 47.1
------------------------------------------------------
Notes on Table
Because nearly all cities have a low number of deaths, the death rates are highly variable. Cities should not be compared.
source of data for table
----------------------------
Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Health Statistics, 1987-1991. Core cities are Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Newport and Central Falls.
references for indicator
----------------------------
All data are from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Office of Helth Statistics, 1987-1991, unless otherwise noted.
Losing Generations: Adolescents in High Risk Settings, (1993),
National Academy Press:
Washington, D.C.
A Data Book of Child and Adolescent Injury, (1991), Children’s Safety Network: Washington, D.C.
Beyond Rhetoric: A New American Agenda for Children and Families,
Final Report of the National Commission on Children (1991),
U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.
Juveniles Referred to Family Court
DEFINITION
Juveniles referred to Family Court is the percentage of
juveniles ages 10 to 17 referred to Rhode Island Family Court for all
wayward/delinquent offenses.
SIGNIFICANCE
The Rhode Island Family Court has jurisdiction over all juvenile
offenders referred for court action. (This does not include instances
in which local law enforcement agencies refer a juvenile to a youth
diversionary program or a city or town juvenile hearing board.) All
referrals to Family Court are from the state and local police
departments except for truancy cases which are referred by local
school departments.
Risk factors associated with youth involvement in crime and delinquency include poverty, lack of educational and job training opportunities, family violence, instability and a lack of supervision.
In Rhode Island in 1994, 94 percent of juvenile offenses referred to Family Court were non-violent offenses, including property crime, disorderly conduct, drug and alcohol-related offenses, and status offenses. Six percent were violent crime offenses.
Because one youth can be charged with multiple offenses, the number of offenses referred to Family Court in a given year exceeds the number of juveniles involved by more than two to one.
Figure 4-5:
Figure 4-6:
Juvenile violent crime
The number of juvenile violent
crime offenses referred to Family Court increased from 272 violent
offenses in 1988 to 557 violent offenses in 1994. Violent offenses
include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
According to the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, Rhode Island’s juvenile violent crime arrest rate in
1992 was 483 per 100,000 youths ages 10 to 17. This reflects a 92%
increase since 1985.
Juveniles Referred for Status Offenses
One in seven juvenile offenses
referred to Family Court are status offenses. Status offenses are
acts which would not be punishable if the offender were an adult, for
example: truancy, disobedient conduct.
Juveniles referred to Family Court
for status offenses are at risk for escalating involvement with the
juvenile justice system. Many serious juvenile offenders first
appeared in the system on truancy or disobedient conduct petitions.
Effective juvenile crime prevention
programs involve all components of the community including families,
schools, law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, and
community-based organizations.
Runaway and
Homeless Youth
The National Network of Runaway and
Youth Services estimates that every year 1.3 million American
children run away from troubled or abusive homes or are abandoned by
their families or other care providers.
More than one in four of these
children are considered to be “throw-away children” who
were told to leave a household, were abandoned or deserted, or tried
to return and were denied.
Teen runaways are vulnerable to
becoming victims and perpetrators of crime, and are at risk for
alcoholism, drug use, and AIDS.
There are limited resources for
homeless youth because many shelters do not take adolescents,
particularly males age 12 and older.
While there are no accurate data on
the total number of homeless and runaway youth in Rhode Island, there
has been a steady increase in the number of homeless youth served by
Travelers Aid’s Runaway Youth Program, and an increasing demand
for host home placement through the Runaway and Homeless Youth
Network.
Substance Abuse
Young people who abuse drugs and
alcohol are more likely to drop out of school, become teen parents,
experience injuries, and become involved with the criminal justice
system.
Sixty-one percent of Rhode Island
12th graders surveyed by the R.I. Department of Health in 1993
reported that they had consumed an alcoholic beverage within the past
month. Forty percent of high school seniors said they had used
marijuana at some time in the past month.
Children and teens are victimized
by substance abuse within their families – from the harmful
effects of a mother’s drug use during pregnancy to the emotional
and financial hardships caused by parents with substance abuse
problems.
Child Abuse and Neglect
DEFINITION
Child abuse and neglect is the total number of indicated cases
of child abuse and neglect per 1,000 children. “Indicated
case” means that credible evidence exists that child abuse
and/or neglect occurred following an investigation into a report of
suspected child abuse or neglect. An indicated case can involve more
than one child. Child abuse includes physical, sexual, and emotional
abuse. Child neglect includes physical and emotional neglect.
SIGNIFICANCE
Child maltreatment can result in death, permanent disability,
delayed development, mental and behavioral disorders, depression, and
suicide. It is also linked to poor academic performance, juvenile
delinquency, and teenage pregnancy.
Children may suffer from child abuse regardless of their racial or ethnic background or socio-economic status. Children are at increased risk for maltreatment if their parents or caregivers are experiencing multiple problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, emotional stress, poverty, unemployment, or domestic violence.
In Rhode Island in 1994 there were 2,732 indicated cases of child abuse and neglect, a rate of 9.7 per 1,000 children. More than 50% of indicated cases involved children from the core cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Newport and Central Falls.
Figure 4-7:
Figure 4-8:
Figure 4-9:
facts about child abuse
in Rhode island, 1993
51% of the victims of child abuse
and neglect were female, 49% were male.
40% of child abuse and neglect
victims were under age 6, including 300 infants under age one.
78% of perpetrators were parents of
the victims.
3,130 children were victims of
child abuse and neglect.
Figure 4-10:
DCYF CASELOAD:
On January 31, 1995, the total active caseload of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families was 7,475 children. The information displayed here applies to these cases. It does not include the additional 2,716 children who are either in pending child abuse and neglect investigations or enrolled in DCYF community-based programs.
Figure 4-11:
Figure 4-12:
Figure 4-13:
Table 4-3: NUMBERS OF INDICATED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT
PER 1,000 CHILDREN, RHODE ISLAND, 1994
Total Number of Rate of cases of
population of indicated cases child abuse/neglect
city/town children under child abuse/negl per 1,000 children
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barrington 4,487 10 2.2
Bristol 6,186 30 4.8
Burrillville 5,109 23 4.5
Central Falls 5,579 124 22.2
Charlestown 1,783 13 7.3
Coventry 8,880 57 6.4
Cranston 17,558 131 7.5
Cumberland 7,523 40 5.3
East Greenwich 3,346 19 5.7
East Providence 12,520 93 7.4
Exeter 1,710 18 10.5
Foster 1,358 3 2.2
Glocester 2,944 8 2.7
Hopkinton 2,123 11 5.2
Jamestown 1,282 3 2.3
Johnston 6,309 38 6
Lincoln 4,543 29 6.4
Little Compton 867 0 0
Middletown 5,598 38 6.8
Narragansett 3,757 14 3.7
Newport 7,858 99 12.6
New Shoreham 184 0 0
North Kingstown 6,993 41 5.9
North Providenc 6,846 46 6.7
North Smithfiel 2,724 11 4
Pawtucket 19,655 260 13.2
Portsmouth 4,716 21 4.5
Providence 52,674 744 14.1
Richmond 1,766 7 4
Scituate 2,809 5 1.8
Smithfield 5,955 13 2.2
South Kingstown 9,612 32 3.3
Tiverton 3,752 11 2.9
Warren 2,851 27 9.5
Warwick 21,596 160 7.4
Westerly 5,771 61 10.6
West Greenwich 1,067 7 6.6
West Warwick 7,818 116 14.8
Woonsocket 12,511 255 20.4
Out-of-State NA 40 NA
Unknown NA 74 NA
Rhode Island 280,620 2,732 9.7
Core Cities 98,277 1,482 15
Remainder of State 182,343 1,136 6.2
---------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on Table
An indicated case is an investigated report of child abuse and neglect for which credible evidence exists that child abuse and/or neglect occurred. An indicated case can involve more than one child.
source of data for table
----------------------------
Data are from the State of RI Department For Children Youth and Families, Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System, number of reports (indicated cases) for the period January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1994. Population data are from U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1990 Census of Population.
references for indicator
----------------------------
All data are from the State of Rhode Island Department for Children Youth and Families, Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System unless otherwise noted.
Child Abuse & Neglect, “A Profile of Violence Toward Children: A National Study”, Wolfner, G., & Gelles, R. (1993), Family Violence Research Program, University of Rhode Island: Kingston, RI.
Child Maltreatment 1992: Reports From the States to the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, (1994), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect: Washington, DC.
Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children, (1994), Carnegie Corporation of New York: New York, NY.
Violence and Youth: Psychology’s Response, Vol.1: Summary Report of the American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth, (1993), American Psychological Association: New York, NY.
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