August 8, 2023 – Cumberland County District Attorney Seán M. McCormack was invited by the Pennsylvania Senate Aging & Youth Committee to testify before them concerning the benefits of Child Advocacy Centers in Pennsylvania.  During his testimony, McCormack emphasized the importance of an abused child being interviewed by a specially trained child interview specialist.  “I can tell you horror stories about interviews conducted by well meaning, but untrained, professionals and the damage those interviews did to the integrity of those investigations.  As a prosecutor, having trust in the quality of the child interview is of the upmost importance.”  

McCormack also called on the legislature to remove some of the legal barriers that currently hamper investigations into child abuse allegations.  “The legislature recently enacted changes to the law to increase the sharing of information between law enforcement and the state’s child protective service agencies.  That was a big step in the right direction, but there are still legal impediments remaining in the law that make full and complete cooperation difficult for those tasked with investigating child abuse.”

McCormack discussed during his testimony how Child Advocacy Centers are at the core of the of a thorough and complete investigation into the investigation of child abuse allegations.  “A strong, well-functioning multi-disciplinary investigative team is one that has broken law enforcement and child protective service agencies out of the isolated silos in which they have functioned for way too long.  All of this can occur under the umbrella of the Children’s Advocacy Center.” 

You can watch the complete hearing here.  District Attorney McCormack’s testimony begins at 2:02:30 portion of the hearing. 

You can read District Attorney McCormack’s prepared remarks below.