Child Abuse and Sham Peer Review...Corruption in Pennsylvania Part I

UPDATE: Check out my new book, The Definitive Dossier of PTSD in Whistleblowers, and in chapter three this story, and especially its mentally debilitating effects, is explored in much greater detail. 

Jim Hoover's Report in cover up of child abuse in Pennsylvania by Michael Volpe

This is a police report done by then Lieutenant Ivan Hooper of the Pennsylvania State Troopers.. ( Part II here) It is a police report that should have finally brought to an end a nightmare that lasted nearly ten years for Dr. Jim Singer. That's because this report confirmed everything that Dr. Singer had been saying for nearly ten years not only about a case of child abuse but systemic corruption at all levels of Pennsylvania government that tried to cover it up. Instead, following the release of this report much of the political help that Mr. Singer received from Pennsylvania politicians dried up. This police report and the case surrounding it open a Pandora's box to corruption in which the Department of Children's Services in Pennsylvania protected child predators and helped orchestrate retaliation against medical professionals that try to report on it.

Back in 1986, Mr. Singer received a patient with a plethora of mental issues including alcoholism and a history of abuse. After having this patient meet with a physician, the two medical professionals decided that the best approach for treatment was family counseling. During family counseling, Mr. Singer found a dysfunctional family with all sorts of problems. After a couple of days, Mr. Singer had confirmed to him in front of multiple witnesses that the daughter in the family was being abused by the fath

er. As a mandated reporter, Dr. Singer was required by law to report his findings to proper authorities. By law, even a suspicion of child abuse must be reported.

Dr. Singer did what the law, medical ethics, and simple humanity required of him. As a result, his entire career and life have been ruined. Within a year, his patients began to dry up because rumors were spread throughout the town he practiced in that he was abusive and incompetent. Several months after these rumors began he was brought in front of the Pennsylvania Psychology Board on several violations. Mr. Singer had been a practicing since 1973 and he never had any complaints, and suddenly within two years of reporting this incident, he had multiple complaints against him. By 1991, the Psychology board suspended his license indefinitely and has still not returned to this day. In fact, he has only recently been able to reinstate his license in West Virginia. Even though he was supposed to remain anonymous when he reported the child abuse, his name was revealed. While no one can be sure how his name was leaked, the only organization that knew was the Department of Children's Services.

Furthermore, throughout his ordeal Mr. Singer reached out to nearly every single powerful politician in the state. He asked everyone from Arlen Spector, to Tom Ridge, to Rick Santorum, to both Bob Casey Jr. and Sr. for help. ( Here is a letter from a State Senator to then Governor Bob Casey Sr. explaining their concern about the way in which Dr. Singer was being targeted)None of them could or would help. Many of the politicians acknowledged the systemic corruption that infected the medical boards of Pennsylvania. Yet, after more than ten years of trying none of them have helped him retrieve his license. According to this letter written to Senator Spector's office, there is even evidence of malfeasance within the Attorney General's office of Pennsylvania. As I mentioned earlier, most of the politicians were significantly more gung ho before this damning police report came out. Even though this police report confirmed most everything that Dr. Singer had been telling them, their help was nearly non existent afterwards.

This case raises many troubling issues about not only the state of Pennsylvania but the entire United States. If Mr. Singer was targeted specifically because he reported child abuse how many other medical professionals have had such things happen in similar situations? If the entire political apparatus of Pennsylvania couldn't or wouldn't protect Mr. Singer from this sham peer review, who else didn't they protect? The alleged abuser was nothing more than a civil servant. Did he actually have enough pull within political circles or was he being protected by someone more powerful? Most of these questions have still not been answered. That's because the media has again been nearly non existent in reporting this corruption. Besides a report in 1992 ABC World News and a few stories by one reporter in Pennsylvania, Mr. Singer's story has never been told. As such, the obscene corruption that surrounds has never been told either.

Of course, the story is too long to tell all in one blog post. In part two, I will lay out the events leading up to Mr. Singer's license being suspended. In Part three, I will detail the manner in which each and every politician in Pennsylvania did or didn't help Mr. Singer, and in part four I will give my conclusions. Of course, you will have to wait for those in the next few days.

Here is part two.