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April

22

2026

Past Event

Protection Is Prevention: New Insights on Reducing Child Maltreatment Fatalities

Event Summary

The Lives Cut Short project is a joint initiative of AEI and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and it has collected information on over 4,000 cases of child maltreatment fatalities. Lives Cut Short will soon use a large language model to analyze case records and identify key risk factors for child maltreatment to strengthen screening practices, improve risk assessment, and direct child protective resources to where they are needed most. As child welfare policy nationwide increasingly emphasizes prevention, new insights from Lives Cut Short show that protecting children from harm via a strong child protection system remains essential to preventing further abuse.

Join us as panelists discuss the project, the latest findings, and more.

Register to attend in-person or virtually here.

Related Content

Parents on Drugs, Babies at Risk: Confronting a Growing Crisis
Naomi Schaefer Riley | AEI event | November 3, 2025

Lives Cut Short
Naomi Schaefer Riley et al. | May 2, 2024

Lives Cut Short: A Project to Document Child Maltreatment Fatalities
Naomi Schaefer Riley | AEI event | May 2, 2024


Agenda


3:45 p.m.

Registration Opens

4:00 p.m.

Introduction:
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

4:05 p.m.

Presentation:

Sarah Font, Professor, Washington University in St. Louis

4:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion

Panelists:

Sarah Font, Professor, Washington University in St. Louis

Kevin O’Connor, Retired Assistant Commissioner, New York Police Department

Emily Putnam-Hornstein, John A. Tate Distinguished Professor for Children in Need, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Laura Robertson, Executive Director, Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence

Moderator:

Naomi Schaefer Riley, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

5:15 p.m.

Q&A

5:30 p.m.

Adjournment

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