The Awareness Center is The Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA)

List of Clergy Reporting States

A mandatory reporter is a person who is required to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. Every State, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories have statutes that identify mandatory reporters of child maltreatment and specify the circumstances under which they are to report. Reporting suspected childabuse and neglect is NOT limited to mandated reporters.

The Awareness Center encourages everyone (including non-mandated reporters) to call your local child abuse hotline if you SUSPECT a child is being abused or neglected.  Remember it is the job of child protection workers to investigate suspected cases and determine if something is happening.  

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Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:

  1. States that specifically say clergy must report child-abuse suspicions
  2. States saying "any person" should report abuse

Also See:

  1. (MA) An Act Requiring Certain Religious Officials To Report Abuse of Children
  2. Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect - State Statutes Series 2004
  3. The Awareness Center's Brochure  

  4. Rabbis, Cantors and Other Trusted Officials

  5. Offenders: Problems Our Parents Wouldn't Speak Of

  6. Recidivism of Sex Offenders  (U.S. Department of Justice: Center for Sex Offender Management)

States that specifically say clergy must report child-abuse suspicions:

By The Associated Press - Friday,  March 22, 2002

Source: The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information.

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Maine

Minnesota

Mississippi

Montana

Nevada

New Hampshire

North Dakota

Oregon

Pennsylvania

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States saying "any person" should report abuse:

By The Associated Press - Friday,  March 22, 2002

Source: The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information.

Delaware

Florida

Idaho

Indiana

Kentucky

Maryland

Nebraska

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Wyoming

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Chapter 107 of the Acts of 2002

AN ACT REQUIRING CERTAIN RELIGIOUS OFFICIALS TO REPORT ABUSE OF CHILDREN.

Approved May 3, 2002

http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw02/sl020107.htm

Whereas , The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is forthwith to mandate the reporting of abuse by certain religious officials and to protect the victims of child abuse, therefore, it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public safety and convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 51A of chapter 119 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 13 and 14, the words "office for children licensor" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- licensor of the office of child care services or any successor agency.

SECTION 2. Said section 51A of said chapter 119, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word "worker", in line 17, the following words:- , priest, rabbi, clergy member, ordained or licensed minister, leader of any church or religious body, accredited Christian Science practitioner, person performing official duties on behalf of a church or religious body that are recognized as the duties of a priest, rabbi, clergy, ordained or licensed minister, leader of any church or religious body, or accredited Christian Science practitioner, or person employed by a church or religious body to supervise, educate, coach, train or counsel a child on a regular basis.

SECTION 3. Said section 51A of said chapter 119, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 86, the words "section twenty B" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- sections 20A and 20B.

SECTION 4. Said section 51A of said chapter 119, as so appearing, is herby further amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Notwithstanding section 20A of chapter 233, a priest, rabbi, clergy member, ordained or licensed minister, leader of a church or religious body or accredited Christian Science practitioner shall report all cases of abuse under this section, but need not report information solely gained in a confession or similarly confidential communication in other religious faiths. Nothing in the general laws shall modify or limit the duty of a priest, rabbi, clergy member, ordained or licensed minister, leader of a church or religious body or accredited Christian Science practitioner to report a reasonable cause that a child is being injured as set forth in this section when the priest, rabbi, clergy member, ordained or licensed minister, leader of a church or religious body or accredited Christian Science practitioner is acting in some other capacity that would otherwise make him a reporter.

SECTION 5. Any individual mentioned in section 51A of chapter 119 of the General Laws, as amended by section 2 of this act, who was not previously subject to said section 51A and who on the effective date of this act has reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 years is or was being injured as set forth in section 51A, except if this belief is based solely on information exempt from reporting under section 4 of this act, shall make the reports required by said section 51A to the department of social services within 30 days after the effective date of this act. If on the effective date of this act, the alleged victim is no longer under the age of 18 years, the individual required by this section to report shall instead make a report to the office of the district attorney for the district where the alleged abuse occurred within 30 days after the effective date of this act and shall notify the alleged victim in writing of this report.

Reports required by this section shall be subject to the penalties provided in said section 51A.

Approved May 3, 2002.

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Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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Last Updated:  09/04/2005

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

--Margaret Mead

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

--Margaret Mead