One commonly cited difficulty with identifying child maltreatment/abuse is that individual states vary regarding what is and is not considered child abuse. For example, 19 states still allow for corporal punishment in the schools, whereas 31 have banned it.

• Select one of the 50 states and investigate that state's child abuse laws
  • NOTE: You should not write about a state someone else already reported on for this post. If someone already selected the state you wanted, please choose another
• How does the state specifically define child maltreatment/abuse?
• Is child abuse considered a misdemeanor or felony in the state? What type of legal penalties does it carry?
• Was there anything about the child abuse laws in the state you selected that surprised you or that you agreed/disagreed with?