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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 11, 2005 Adult meth use puts kids at risk Study concludes that children’s well-being is compromised by drug use in Jackson County By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Methamphetamine use by adults likely fueled a spike in the number of Jackson County children living in danger of death or injury in 2003, officials said Monday. That trend contributed to a statewide climate of uncertainty about children’s safety, health and basic nutrition, according to data released today by Children First for Oregon, a Portland- based advocacy group. The new report on the status of Oregon’s children decries statewide increases in child abuse and neglect, declining access to health care and lack of stable food sources, especially in the summer. "If we are to keep children safe, Oregon must increase, not decrease its investment in prevention and intervention services," Robin Christian, executive director of Children First, said in a statement. One in every 100 children in Oregon and Jackson County was a confirmed victim of child abuse, the report for fiscal year 2003 revealed. Locally, 610 cases of child neglect were confirmed. Advertisement Of those, more than 60 percent — 370 — were "threat of harm" cases. That category is reserved for kids at "extreme risk," including those living with untreated sex offenders, domestic violence or the specter of siblings killed or injured through abuse or neglect. That means eight kids per every 1,000 in Jackson County were in harm’s way, a rate 47 percent worse than last year’s and 55 percent worse than Oregon overall. "I personally think that it’s probably meth," explained Karla Carlson, local intake supervisor for the Department of Human Services. Even incidents of domestic violence appear to be linked to the cycle of the powerful stimulant, which makes people angry and combative when the high wears off. "Many cases are when a child is trying to intervene or when the child is right there when the parents are beating each other up," she said. "The fights we see between people as a result of (meth) are terrible." The Children First report notes that less than half — 48 percent — of 42,455 reports of child abuse or neglect in 2003 were assessed by state workers. Of those assessed, 42 percent were confirmed as factual, figures showed. In Jackson County, 54 percent of the 2,359 reports received in 2003 were assessed, figures showed. Of those, 33 percent were confirmed. Many reports received by the agency don’t rise to the level of child abuse, noted Doug Mares, director for Jackson County. "Some reports are custody related, some are health issues," he said. Many others are referred to Jackson County’s "safety net" system of law enforcement, social service providers and others for intervention. Increasingly, however, founded reports of child abuse are related to methamphetamine use, said Mares. His agency has begun tracking the relation. So far in January, he noted, all eight petitions the agency made to remove children from their homes were related to meth. "It’s not just that they’re using meth," said Mares, who noted that all petitions for removal must be approved by a judge. "It’s that they’re using meth, the house is filthy and the child is not getting fed. That’s when we go." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers