“As you read this sentence, a social worker somewhere is making a decision that will protect a child. As we look back across history, it is clear that the effort to protect children is not a story of failure, but a story of progress and hope. The child protection system is far from perfect, and much remains to be done, but, at the same time, much has been accomplished. “ (John B. Myers, A Short History of Child Protection in America) This episode is more research, less true crime, but it's something listeners have been asking for! The law is not going solve child abuse, but we have very few ways as a society to respond vigorously to abuse, and legal endeavors seem to be a logical effort.  When we speak of legal changes, there are a few different main ideas.  First, we’ll talk about the shift in penal codes, in which child abuse became a felony in many states.  Second, we’ll discuss the revisions to CAPTA (Child Abuse and Prevention T Act) in 1977, third, we’ll cover the reassertion of juvenile courts over social services, and with that we’ll feature one of the most important changes (in my opinion) of children having court-appointed advocates.   Promo for Southern Gothic:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/southern-gothic/id1348392537?mt=2 Promo for Nordic True Crime: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nordic-true-crime/id1357329217?mt=2 Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TargetedPodcast/ website:  www.targetedpodcast.com email:     targetedpodcast@gmail.com Twitter:  @targetedpodcast   Merchandise:  https://www.teepublic.com/user/targetedpodcast