District Attorneys: PSU Fine Should Fund Children’s Advocacy Centers
Now that the NCAA has slapped Penn State with a $60-million dollar fine to fund programs that prevent child sex abuse and assist its victims, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association is weighing in on how that money should be used. Association president Shawn Wager has written the presidents of both PSU and the NCAA to say those funds would be best used supporting the Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state.
“The DA’s Association has chosen to weigh in on this discussion regarding the use of the NCAA endowment funds because we as district attorneys believe Children’s Advocacy Centers best fulfill the obligations laid out in the consent decree by the NCAA,” Wagner says, “to provide direct services to child abuse victims and to focus on public education & child abuse prevention. I can assure you Children’s Advocacy Centers do both of those things.”
Adams Co. District Attorney Shawn Wagner is president of the PDAA.
Wagner was joined by fellow prosecutors and victim advocates from across the state at news conferences in State College, Harrisburg and Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Victim advocate Jennifer Storm has been involved in the Jerry Sandusky case, and supports the district attorneys efforts:STORM
In a statement, Penn State lauded the work of both the DAs and the CACs. It continues: “The University is working to formulate a plan to create and administer the fund. It is our hope the fund will produce countless opportunities to help children in need. We appreciate this valuable input and will provide additional details when they become available.”
Pennsylvania is home to 20-Childrens Advocacy Centers, which do not have a consistent or dedicated funding stream. Advocates add that for every child served, there are hundreds of additional child victims in PA that do not have access to CACs.
