A new Pennsylvania law has expanded the authority of state prosecutors to handle cases of abuse in long-term care settings such as nursing homes, which Attorney General Josh Shapiro views as a plus.
In a statement Friday, he praised the change enabling his office to prosecute abuse, when previously it had been limited to handling neglect cases. Abuse cases were formerly only in the jurisdiction of local prosecutors. Another provision in the new law removes the need for prosecutors in neglect cases to prove that actual physical injury occurred.
Mr. Shapiro said the changes will enable his office to better protect vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and he credited the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks.
Explaining his motivation behind the measure, Mr. Cox said, “Those caregivers who kill a person by neglecting the individual will no longer be able to hide behind a legal loophole.”
The attorney general noted several recent cases in eastern Pennsylvania in which his office prosecuted neglect committed by nurses and aides against older adults or other care-dependent individuals.
Gary Rotstein: grotstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1255.
First Published: July 13, 2018, 10:20 p.m.