In New Jersey, individuals found to have committed any act of child abuse or neglect are placed on the state's child abuse registry for life—creating a permanent stigma that bars them from a litany of professions. Even though the evidence in favor of such registries is sparse, they continue to be popular across the nation. However, one New Jersey man is challenging his state's lifetime registry in court.
New Jersey, like almost all U.S. states, has a child abuse registry listing those whom the state's child welfare agency or family courts have found to have committed child abuse or neglect. Those on the registry are barred from working in a wide range of fields, including some that do not involve work with children, like substance abuse programs, county mental health boards, or jail diversion programs. While the registry is not publicly accessible, a person's registry status will show up in some background checks.
