01-05-2025
Erin's Angels re-introduces a bill to help protect children
PHOENIX, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Phoenix non-profit Erin's Angels is re-introducing a bill in remembrance of Erin Maxwell. The 11-year-old was murdered by her step-brother in their Palermo home in 2008.
Erin's Angels advisory committee is urging lawmakers to pass the Children's Bill of Rights this time around. NY State Senate Bill 2009-S1510, also known as Erin's Law, was first introduced by Senator DeFrancisco in 2009. The bill never passed and has since been renamed to the Children's Bill of Rights.
'Right now, the minimum standards for care for children in New York State is abysmally low,' said Sheila Dion, founder and director of Erin's Angels.
The bill aims to raise those standards — ensuring that children have access to clean water, sufficient food, proper bedding, hygiene, and other basic necessities.
'If you look at the statistics in Oswego County, our abuse, neglect, and maltreatment rate is three times the state rate. I don't see that changing without the introduction or the passage of this bill,' said Jackie Flint, president of the board of directors for Erin's Angels.
The bill would also strengthen penalties for crimes against children under 14, including heavier sentences for people like Erin Maxwell's step-brother, Alan Jones. Jones served nearly nine years in prison for killing Erin. He was released in 2018 and now walks free.
'Meanwhile she's not here anymore, and that's atrocious. Shame on us as a community,' said Dion.
If passed, the bill would make the aggravated murder of a child a Class A-1 felony, carrying a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
'Our advisory committee doesn't want life to go on anymore. We want to stop it right here and say, 'No, these minimum standards of care need to be increased. They need to be raised. We need to protect these kids with this law.' And so we're asking for support from the community to sign our petition,' said Dion.
Dion said about 1,500 people have signed the petition so far. She's hoping to get 10,000 signatures by September.
There are also many concerns if the bill doesn't pass.
'I think we're going to see a lot of the same outcomes. As you look, just since Erin Maxwell's death, we've had three more tragedies just in Oswego County alone,' said Flint.
The petition can be found here.
NewsChannel 9 reached out to Senator Chris Ryan's office for an update on the bill. We're still waiting to hear back.
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