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90 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 20, 2005 Child abuse blamed on meth Abuse and neglect cases have risen higher in Jackson County than in Oregon and in neighboring counties By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect rose by about 21 percent in Jackson County during fiscal year 2004, significantly higher than the state as a whole and all neighboring counties, a new state report shows. The number of local kids hurt or neglected rose to 737, up from 610 in fiscal year 2003. Overall, Jackson County’s rate of abuse per 1,000 children rose from about 13 percent to about 16 percent in 2004. "A lot of it is the meth issue," said Doug Mares, director of the local child welfare branch of the state Department of Human Services. Adult use of methamphetamine, a powerful illegal stimulant, likely was a factor in at least two-thirds of the new, confirmed cases of abuse, Mares said. Overall in Oregon, confirmed cases of abuse or neglect rose by more than 12 percent, to about 10,600 in 2004, according to the annual DHS report on the status of children in the state protection system. Advertisement Statewide reports of abuse or neglect were up by nearly 10 percent, to more than 46,000. Neighboring counties fared better than Jackson County, the report showed. In Josephine County, confirmed cases of abuse or neglect fell by more than 30 percent, from 254 in 2003 to 174 the next year. That sent the child abuse rate down from about 14 percent to less than 10 percent. In Douglas County, too, confirmed cases fell by about 30 percent, from 322 to 228. The rate there dropped from more than 13 percent to more than 9 percent. In Klamath County, the number of victims was up by more than 7 percent, from 382 to 410. The overall rate rose only slightly, to about 25 percent. Changes in the number of child abuse victims ranged wildly across Oregon last year. Tiny Harney County reported a 100 percent increase in victims, from 37 in 2003 to 74 in 2004. That sent the overall rate up from about 20 percent to about 38 percent per 1,000 kids. The biggest drop in Oregon was in Baker County, which reported a 32 percent decrease in the number of victims, down from 119 to 81. Local child-welfare workers use the annual indicators as a fluctuating measure of the problem, Mares said. "I look at them myself and the office looks at them to see where we are in relation to others," he said. Mares hopes a new, countywide focus on Southern Oregon’s methamphetamine crisis will send abuse numbers down next year. Recent reports of county and private funding for the Jackson County Methamphetamine Task Force gives workers hope, he said. "We never feel good about child abuse," Mares said. "We’d like it to be zero. We’d all like to be out of jobs." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s