Federal class action suit filed against Clark County (Las Vegas) child welfare system
Posted on April 16, 2010 by prairieguy
By Steve Kanigher Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | 12:03 p.m.
A federal class action lawsuit filed Tuesday night in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas accuses state and Clark County officials of overseeing a child welfare system that violates state and federal law.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 13 children by the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland, Calif., named as defendants Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Director Michael Willden, Nevada Division of Child and Family Services Administrator Diane Comeaux, Clark County Manager Virginia Valentine and Clark County Department of Family Services Director Tom Morton.
Those officials are accused of showing “deliberate indifference to the health and safety of the children [they are] obligated to protect.” In addition to seeking unspecified damages for the child plaintiffs, the lawsuit demands system improvements for several classes of children in foster care.
Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa said today: “We’re not commenting because we haven’t had a chance to review it.”
Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Ben Kieckhefer likewise said: “We haven’t been served yet and we can’t comment until we’ve had a chance to review it with our attorneys.”
The lawsuit alleges countless instances of blatant disregard of federal and state law, substandard judgment, neglect and active indifference on the part of child welfare officials and caseworkers. Those individuals were accused of perpetuating abuse by routinely denying foster children stability, health care, and, in many cases, even the most minimal level of safety. In fact, many children are taken from their homes only to be subjected to further abuse, including physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, while in the county’s custody, the lawsuit says.
In one cited example, defendants allegedly placed an infant and her older brother in a foster home where the baby was locked in a closet, and her brother was beaten when he tried to help her. Another plaintiff, now 17, has been in foster care for 15 years and has been shuttled through 40 placements.
The youth law center stated that since 2003, more than 10 studies and reports have documented the defendants’ failure to protect the health, safety and well being of child abuse victims and children in foster care.
Other law firms representing the plaintiffs include Morrison & Foerster LLP, an international, 1,000-lawyer firm with offices in 16 cities, including San Francisco, and Wolfenzon Schulman & Ryan, with offices in Las Vegas, Reno and San Diego.
The youth law center previously sued to reform the child welfare system in Nevada on behalf of different plaintiffs and a different class. The last suit, filed in 2006, was dismissed last year after the federal court declined to certify the class, and all the plaintiffs had either aged out of the system or been adopted.
The center is renewing its efforts for current and future foster care children who it says will continue to suffer until state and county child welfare officials make changes to ensure the safety and well-being of children in their custody.
“Our hope is that going forward, the county and state will commit its time and resources to addressing the needs of children in its care,” says youth law center attorney Bryn Martyna.
The law center said that many of the problems cited in its initial lawsuit persist or have worsened. A 2009 review of Nevada’s child welfare system by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found the state did not meet federal standards for child safety, staff and caregiver training, and children’s physical and mental health, among others.
Among the allegations in the lawsuit:
• Many caseworkers lack even the most rudimentary training, have no supervision, and carry exceedingly high caseloads, resulting in serious injury to children.
• Children are routinely denied mental health, medical, early intervention and special education services.
• Children as young as 7 are prescribed powerful psychotropic drugs, sometimes in combination, without adequate monitoring. Most of the drugs are not approved for use in children. One child named in the suit was twice hospitalized in the ICU for near organ failure due to an overdose of such drugs.
• Caseworkers regularly fail to visit children in their placements.
• Supervisors and caseworkers often “turn a deaf ear” to reports of abuse and neglect in foster care, allowing children to endure further abuse.
• Children sent to out-of-state placements are essentially written off by defendants, who fail to evaluate or monitor such placements, allowing children to suffer further abuse and neglect.
The lawsuit is also demanding that the state and county agencies develop case plans that contain the information foster parents need to properly care for the children in their care, provide representatives for children in court as required under both Nevada and federal law, and provide early intervention services for foster children.
“If defendants’ unconstitutional and unlawful actions and omissions are not halted, many more children will be harmed,” said youth law center attorney Bill Grimm, lead counsel on the case. “And another generation of children will suffer untold misery in the form of abuse, instability and absence of a loving family. Some will suffer irreparable injury or even death, and others will leave the foster care system ill-prepared to live healthy, independent, and productive lives.”
http://prairieguy.wordpress.com/
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Monday, May 31, 2010
A Letter to Judge E. Kelly-Nashua, NH District Court
Dear Judge Kelly, I decided to write to you after reading a letter you wrote back to Paula Werme in response to her letter, written to you in regards to an excerpt taken out of the NH DCYF Court and Legal Handbook.
Paula's letter and your response:
September 8, 1999
The Honorable Edwin Kelly
Administrative Office of the Courts
PO Box 389
Concord, NH 03302-0389
Re: RSA 91-A Right to Know Request
Dear Judge Kelly,
I am enclosing for your review a copy of my web page, which quotes DCYF Policy Directive 86-26, and a copy of Rogers Lang's answer to my 1987 Right to Know regarding that policy.
Specifically, I would like to refer you to the last two paragraphs quoted from pp. 9 - 10 of the Court and legal handbook (copies of the actual handbook included for reference). Regarding DCYF's policies on district offices of meeting with judges "to become familiar with each other" and meetings "to discuss mutual concerns or resolve any problems which may arise," please answer the following questions:
Have you personally ever met with people from DCYF privately outside the courtroom for any reason, or to "to discuss mutual concerns or resolve any problems which may arise?"
If the answer to the above question is "yes," please, to the best of your ability, and using any calendars that the Court keeps for your business schedule, list the dates and times of said meetings, the names of the people involved in such meetings, and the subject matter discussed in such meetings.
Have you ever attended a meeting with than one judge (i.e. "as a group") with any DCYF personnel for purposes of advising judges on changes in the law that affect the Division, for statistical review of the Division's manpower and caseload, to discuss various differences between the courts, for purposes of standardizing those differences or to discuss any other issues?
If so, please to the best of your ability, and using any calendars that the Court keeps for your business schedule, list the dates and times of said meetings, the names of the people involved in such meetings, and the subject matter discussed in such meetings.
Do you know of any other judges in the District courts who have had individual meetings with DCYF personnel or supervisors "to discuss mutual concerns" or meetings "as a group" for purposes listed in question #3?
If the answer to question # 3 is "yes," please indicate all of the judges you personally know of who have had these types of meetings with DCYF personnel, the dates of such meetings, the names of the people who attended such meetings, and to the best of your ability and knowledge, the substance of said meetings.
For any meetings previously requested, if an itinerary or notes or minutes of said meetings were kept, please forward those itineraries or notes or minutes to me as well.
I thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Paula J. Werme, Esq.
Cc: File
Ned Gordon, Chair Person
DCYF Field Practices Study Committee
NH Senate Judiciary Committee
I numbered the requests above because that makes it harder for a request to be missed. Nevertheless, the reply I received completely ignores most of the above:
September 16, 1999
Dear Attorney Werme,
I have received your letter dated September 8, 1999.
It is our general policy in the District Court System to encourage judges and clerks to meet regularly with a wide variety of users of the judicial system. Meetings occur with representatives of the Division for Children, Youth, and Families, as well as with the law enforcement community, the defense and civil bar, and others. These meetings are designed to encourage the more effective administration of justice. Topics such as caseflow management and other general administrative issues are routine, while discussions about pending matters are forbidden.
Very truly yours,
Edwin W. Kelly
Administrative Judge
Even though you answered Paula's letter in a round about way, your answer showed that the courts are indeed bias. Judges meet with representatives of DCYF as well as with law enforcement the defense, civil bar and other's. I am quite sure the OTHER's are not parents and relatives of children removed by DCYF. Do you really expect anyone to believe this protocol is fair to parents and relatives? DCYF worker's have stated to me in the past, the Judges only listen to them. Is this because you meet with them on a regular basis? Because you and DCYF discuss these cases beforehand? Are you all that sure that you can trust these people? What about these families that you know nothing about? Why do the Judges only listen to them? Why do parents not even get the chance to speak up in court when they are being downgraded by DCYF? Why are they subjected to a courtroom filled with hateful accuser's,with accusations being thrown at them from every side, with no-one there for moral support? Why are they given court-appointed Lawyer's, who admit the Court is their boss, when the Lawyer is asked why he wouldn't stand by or fight for his client? Does this sound like a fair justice system to you? How would this kind of courtroom antics make you feel if you weren't a Judge? If you had to sit and listen to a courtroom filled with people berating you, with no-one to stand by you to stick up for your rights, with no-one there to tell the TRUTH? Would you stand by and put up with the lies? How would you feel if your child was taken due to Perjury committed by a DCYF Lawyer, without the need to show any proof of the false allegation? Would you care if your family were slandered to make sure they weren't allowed custody of your child? How would you feel if all your records were not received by the court? Records that weren't even court-ordered that prove your innocence? Records that finally turn up, but are still NOT admitted into evidence? Would it matter to you at all if you saw all the lies in your files after your child was stolen, without an investigation? What would you do if this happened to you?
For your information, DCYF does not walk on water and they are no better than the rest of us. In fact, they are worse. They have NO conscience and feel NO compassion or remorse. All they feel is a sense of power, because our government has made them accountable to no-one. Not even Judges. Are you aware that parents are told it's up to them if their child is returned, not the Judge? Are you aware that parent's are told the Judge has no say? That parent's are told their rights WILL be terminated, even at the beginning of a case? That criminal charges are dropped, when the parent has been found to not be at fault, yet the children are still never returned, because the family system shows less regard for the law than the rights afforded a criminal. Criminals have more rights than accused parents.
Are you aware that Nashua caseworker's state TPR's are always lost by parents in NH? Are you also aware that these caseworker's state TPR's are never reversed by the NH Supreme Court? Are you aware that Probate Judges write the opposite of testimony and proof when terminating a parents rights in NH?
Is money all that important? Is it worth causing a child and his falsely accused family, a lifetime full of pain? Is it a good enough reason to make a child try to commit suicide and be put on mind altering drugs?
Judge Kelly, you have the power to change the way DCYF works. You know first hand what they are capable of. Will you ever do anything to stop it?
Please see attached picture of my grandson Austin Knightly-doped up by Nashua DCYF.
Paula's letter and your response:
September 8, 1999
The Honorable Edwin Kelly
Administrative Office of the Courts
PO Box 389
Concord, NH 03302-0389
Re: RSA 91-A Right to Know Request
Dear Judge Kelly,
I am enclosing for your review a copy of my web page, which quotes DCYF Policy Directive 86-26, and a copy of Rogers Lang's answer to my 1987 Right to Know regarding that policy.
Specifically, I would like to refer you to the last two paragraphs quoted from pp. 9 - 10 of the Court and legal handbook (copies of the actual handbook included for reference). Regarding DCYF's policies on district offices of meeting with judges "to become familiar with each other" and meetings "to discuss mutual concerns or resolve any problems which may arise," please answer the following questions:
Have you personally ever met with people from DCYF privately outside the courtroom for any reason, or to "to discuss mutual concerns or resolve any problems which may arise?"
If the answer to the above question is "yes," please, to the best of your ability, and using any calendars that the Court keeps for your business schedule, list the dates and times of said meetings, the names of the people involved in such meetings, and the subject matter discussed in such meetings.
Have you ever attended a meeting with than one judge (i.e. "as a group") with any DCYF personnel for purposes of advising judges on changes in the law that affect the Division, for statistical review of the Division's manpower and caseload, to discuss various differences between the courts, for purposes of standardizing those differences or to discuss any other issues?
If so, please to the best of your ability, and using any calendars that the Court keeps for your business schedule, list the dates and times of said meetings, the names of the people involved in such meetings, and the subject matter discussed in such meetings.
Do you know of any other judges in the District courts who have had individual meetings with DCYF personnel or supervisors "to discuss mutual concerns" or meetings "as a group" for purposes listed in question #3?
If the answer to question # 3 is "yes," please indicate all of the judges you personally know of who have had these types of meetings with DCYF personnel, the dates of such meetings, the names of the people who attended such meetings, and to the best of your ability and knowledge, the substance of said meetings.
For any meetings previously requested, if an itinerary or notes or minutes of said meetings were kept, please forward those itineraries or notes or minutes to me as well.
I thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Paula J. Werme, Esq.
Cc: File
Ned Gordon, Chair Person
DCYF Field Practices Study Committee
NH Senate Judiciary Committee
I numbered the requests above because that makes it harder for a request to be missed. Nevertheless, the reply I received completely ignores most of the above:
September 16, 1999
Dear Attorney Werme,
I have received your letter dated September 8, 1999.
It is our general policy in the District Court System to encourage judges and clerks to meet regularly with a wide variety of users of the judicial system. Meetings occur with representatives of the Division for Children, Youth, and Families, as well as with the law enforcement community, the defense and civil bar, and others. These meetings are designed to encourage the more effective administration of justice. Topics such as caseflow management and other general administrative issues are routine, while discussions about pending matters are forbidden.
Very truly yours,
Edwin W. Kelly
Administrative Judge
Even though you answered Paula's letter in a round about way, your answer showed that the courts are indeed bias. Judges meet with representatives of DCYF as well as with law enforcement the defense, civil bar and other's. I am quite sure the OTHER's are not parents and relatives of children removed by DCYF. Do you really expect anyone to believe this protocol is fair to parents and relatives? DCYF worker's have stated to me in the past, the Judges only listen to them. Is this because you meet with them on a regular basis? Because you and DCYF discuss these cases beforehand? Are you all that sure that you can trust these people? What about these families that you know nothing about? Why do the Judges only listen to them? Why do parents not even get the chance to speak up in court when they are being downgraded by DCYF? Why are they subjected to a courtroom filled with hateful accuser's,with accusations being thrown at them from every side, with no-one there for moral support? Why are they given court-appointed Lawyer's, who admit the Court is their boss, when the Lawyer is asked why he wouldn't stand by or fight for his client? Does this sound like a fair justice system to you? How would this kind of courtroom antics make you feel if you weren't a Judge? If you had to sit and listen to a courtroom filled with people berating you, with no-one to stand by you to stick up for your rights, with no-one there to tell the TRUTH? Would you stand by and put up with the lies? How would you feel if your child was taken due to Perjury committed by a DCYF Lawyer, without the need to show any proof of the false allegation? Would you care if your family were slandered to make sure they weren't allowed custody of your child? How would you feel if all your records were not received by the court? Records that weren't even court-ordered that prove your innocence? Records that finally turn up, but are still NOT admitted into evidence? Would it matter to you at all if you saw all the lies in your files after your child was stolen, without an investigation? What would you do if this happened to you?
For your information, DCYF does not walk on water and they are no better than the rest of us. In fact, they are worse. They have NO conscience and feel NO compassion or remorse. All they feel is a sense of power, because our government has made them accountable to no-one. Not even Judges. Are you aware that parents are told it's up to them if their child is returned, not the Judge? Are you aware that parent's are told the Judge has no say? That parent's are told their rights WILL be terminated, even at the beginning of a case? That criminal charges are dropped, when the parent has been found to not be at fault, yet the children are still never returned, because the family system shows less regard for the law than the rights afforded a criminal. Criminals have more rights than accused parents.
Are you aware that Nashua caseworker's state TPR's are always lost by parents in NH? Are you also aware that these caseworker's state TPR's are never reversed by the NH Supreme Court? Are you aware that Probate Judges write the opposite of testimony and proof when terminating a parents rights in NH?
Is money all that important? Is it worth causing a child and his falsely accused family, a lifetime full of pain? Is it a good enough reason to make a child try to commit suicide and be put on mind altering drugs?
Judge Kelly, you have the power to change the way DCYF works. You know first hand what they are capable of. Will you ever do anything to stop it?
Please see attached picture of my grandson Austin Knightly-doped up by Nashua DCYF.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Regarding Child Protective Services-A Few Tips
SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2010
Parental Rights II Blogspot
Regarding Child Protective Services-A Few Tips
Please think strongly before acting on what I have listed here. Although I have found these to be true in ours and many other family cases, please think carefully about the decisions you make on behalf of your family
Do not allow them into your home. This also pretains to them asking questions about another family, (they will probably be back to visit you!)
Do not, I mean Do Not talk to them at all if you can help it.
That especially means 'answering their questions.' Case Workers and Investigators are trained by "change agents" if necessary, look that up! Watch for open ended questions! Trust me when they interview, every single question is a trick question.
Tell them that you will talk to them only with your attorney present. They will ask why you feel like you need an attorney? It's none of their damn business! Don't talk to them, you can do this at the same time being polite
Any words they hear from you, anything you say will be twisted around and used against you.
They may suggest a voluntary family preservation plan.
Do not do it and do not sign anything! Do not sign a thing!
Continue to tell them that they are making you feel violated! They will and they could care less but stick with it because the Constititution is still in place until or if the UNCRC is ratified!
If you volunteer to attend visits to their service providers then it will look like a sign of guilt. If you are innocent don't do it!
You will very soon learn that these services are not voluntary! Also more cases than none, rhe Judge doesn't even know they are speaking to you or anything about you, YET!
At that time you may be or feel threatened. Then you will understand why you need to take notes, record, video!
Family Preservation is a well planned strategic tactic that they will use to obtain enough information to build a case on you with.
I have known of several incidents where Service providers have told Parents one thing and if CPS wasnt satisfied with their decision, they would place a phone call and the Providers would totally change their opinions.
If you are ever involved with CPS you must fight back with every single thing you have!
No matter what they tell you or no matter what you think, they are not your friends!They are trained ny the "change agents" if you looked this up, also type in the word communism and see what you get or how about brainwashing. Bt the way, our public teacher are trained by change agents. I can get very deep into that subject!
If you can afford an attorney, go out and hire one right away that has and will go up against them and is not afraid to win. Some winning attorneys have been retaliated against by CPS and their own children were taken away! If you don't have the funds for an attorney try the LOCAL LEGAL "SOCIETY",do not allow the court to appoint you a punlic defender. Use your best judgement because the main thing is that you don't want your kids to be under the court or CPS control period.
Instruct your children, depending on age, that they do not have to answer any questions! They will go to your childs chool and speak to your kids!
Find a support network of others who have been there.
There is an incentive behind baby stealing and selling, also called "child trafficking"
Money
The Awesome State Power, as our Juvenile Court Judge calls it.
Accountability.
Your Family Could Be Next!
The NCJFCJ have been fighting for the UNCRC to be Ratified for approx. 10 years.
What will these Judges gain? More power and control over us and our children.
Juvenile and Family Courts collaborate with DFCS.
Never, Ever Trust DFCS!
CPS should have a warrent to come into your home or take your children. If they feel or say the child is in iminent danger they will go ahead and take the child anyway and it's a little hard to say no to two huge police officers.
Children have been taken into CPS custody at school!
LEARN! I cannot stress this enough! Learn their manuels, policies and procedures.
Record!!!! You really don't think that they carry two cell phone do you?
Take notes of every single thing, I don't care if you have to do it right in front of them. I mean get dates, names, exact words, times, emotions you say or felt from them and yourself, get all details.Get a video recorder, turn it on and say,"You don't mind if I record our meeting do you?"
There is a lot more to know that will shock you! They seem smart but apparently they are not that smart. People who feel they are in control, power, greed, competition, strict guidelines to follow, eventually get careless. Sometimes they abuse their power so much that they don't even care if they are careless.
Family team meetings, be on your guard because they have special training by FTM Facilitators and you will be revealing things to them without realizing it. Trickery my friends! That is a real word also!
Attorneys have standards and ethics to follow. When they do not, they may get a slap on the hand or they could be disbared or even face criminal charges. Educate yourself! Be on Guard!
Please feel free to follow Parental Rights II
"Their secrets are being exposed not only in the US but around the world and they all must be held accountable!"
http://parentalrights2.blogspot.com/2010/05/regarding-child-protective-services-few.html
Parental Rights II Blogspot
Regarding Child Protective Services-A Few Tips
Please think strongly before acting on what I have listed here. Although I have found these to be true in ours and many other family cases, please think carefully about the decisions you make on behalf of your family
Do not allow them into your home. This also pretains to them asking questions about another family, (they will probably be back to visit you!)
Do not, I mean Do Not talk to them at all if you can help it.
That especially means 'answering their questions.' Case Workers and Investigators are trained by "change agents" if necessary, look that up! Watch for open ended questions! Trust me when they interview, every single question is a trick question.
Tell them that you will talk to them only with your attorney present. They will ask why you feel like you need an attorney? It's none of their damn business! Don't talk to them, you can do this at the same time being polite
Any words they hear from you, anything you say will be twisted around and used against you.
They may suggest a voluntary family preservation plan.
Do not do it and do not sign anything! Do not sign a thing!
Continue to tell them that they are making you feel violated! They will and they could care less but stick with it because the Constititution is still in place until or if the UNCRC is ratified!
If you volunteer to attend visits to their service providers then it will look like a sign of guilt. If you are innocent don't do it!
You will very soon learn that these services are not voluntary! Also more cases than none, rhe Judge doesn't even know they are speaking to you or anything about you, YET!
At that time you may be or feel threatened. Then you will understand why you need to take notes, record, video!
Family Preservation is a well planned strategic tactic that they will use to obtain enough information to build a case on you with.
I have known of several incidents where Service providers have told Parents one thing and if CPS wasnt satisfied with their decision, they would place a phone call and the Providers would totally change their opinions.
If you are ever involved with CPS you must fight back with every single thing you have!
No matter what they tell you or no matter what you think, they are not your friends!They are trained ny the "change agents" if you looked this up, also type in the word communism and see what you get or how about brainwashing. Bt the way, our public teacher are trained by change agents. I can get very deep into that subject!
If you can afford an attorney, go out and hire one right away that has and will go up against them and is not afraid to win. Some winning attorneys have been retaliated against by CPS and their own children were taken away! If you don't have the funds for an attorney try the LOCAL LEGAL "SOCIETY",do not allow the court to appoint you a punlic defender. Use your best judgement because the main thing is that you don't want your kids to be under the court or CPS control period.
Instruct your children, depending on age, that they do not have to answer any questions! They will go to your childs chool and speak to your kids!
Find a support network of others who have been there.
There is an incentive behind baby stealing and selling, also called "child trafficking"
Money
The Awesome State Power, as our Juvenile Court Judge calls it.
Accountability.
Your Family Could Be Next!
The NCJFCJ have been fighting for the UNCRC to be Ratified for approx. 10 years.
What will these Judges gain? More power and control over us and our children.
Juvenile and Family Courts collaborate with DFCS.
Never, Ever Trust DFCS!
CPS should have a warrent to come into your home or take your children. If they feel or say the child is in iminent danger they will go ahead and take the child anyway and it's a little hard to say no to two huge police officers.
Children have been taken into CPS custody at school!
LEARN! I cannot stress this enough! Learn their manuels, policies and procedures.
Record!!!! You really don't think that they carry two cell phone do you?
Take notes of every single thing, I don't care if you have to do it right in front of them. I mean get dates, names, exact words, times, emotions you say or felt from them and yourself, get all details.Get a video recorder, turn it on and say,"You don't mind if I record our meeting do you?"
There is a lot more to know that will shock you! They seem smart but apparently they are not that smart. People who feel they are in control, power, greed, competition, strict guidelines to follow, eventually get careless. Sometimes they abuse their power so much that they don't even care if they are careless.
Family team meetings, be on your guard because they have special training by FTM Facilitators and you will be revealing things to them without realizing it. Trickery my friends! That is a real word also!
Attorneys have standards and ethics to follow. When they do not, they may get a slap on the hand or they could be disbared or even face criminal charges. Educate yourself! Be on Guard!
Please feel free to follow Parental Rights II
"Their secrets are being exposed not only in the US but around the world and they all must be held accountable!"
http://parentalrights2.blogspot.com/2010/05/regarding-child-protective-services-few.html
The Fight of My LIfe
Parental Rights II Blogspot
Aimea Marie Groce born February 13th, 2009 was taken from her mothers arms two days after birth after the baby allegedly tested positive after birth for drugs. This month [May] Judge Key will decide Aimea and Katie's fate. Please pray for them. ;
UPDATE: Katie told her court appointed attorney to demand a continuance because he was not prepared, so did I. He must have been under the gun somehow because he sreamed in my face, "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" That shocked me, I mean it truley frieghtened me, although I tried not to let it show. I said " Don't you yell at me, how dare you?" We went in the courtroom and I could feel it in the air...she's here! I was never allowed in the courtroom before and now that the law states they are to be open unless good reason to close, I walked right in and sat behind my daughter. Her Lawyer soon returned and told Katie that he had spoken with the SAAG and was denied a continuance. Well I know that the SAAG is the Attorney for CPS (DFCS) and I have always been under the impression that a continuance would be something to ask the judge for. That was never brought up. This Attorney helped Katie to lose her parental Rights to Mimi! Part of his duties to his clients is to make sure and leave something on the record so that the ruling might be appealable. Wonder how he could have done it if he wanted to, he didn't know anything about my daughters current situation and obviously any of the past since he was appointed to her in Feb., 2009.
Katie's Rights to Aimea were terminated that day. May 18th, 2010. She is now, forever changed!
Families are being torn apart left and right. My late husband was an attorney who practiced law for almost 30 years. I'm so glad he isn't here today to see how corrupt his collegues have become. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed things would be like they are. It is a fact though and we can either sit back and allow this to continue or we can band together and demand change! One lawsuit won't do it! One hundred lawsuits won't do it! To bring down this empire of corruption it will take us all pulling together by county, by state! There IS power in numbers.
http://parentalrights2.blogspot.com/2010/05/regarding-child-protective-services-few.html
Aimea Marie Groce born February 13th, 2009 was taken from her mothers arms two days after birth after the baby allegedly tested positive after birth for drugs. This month [May] Judge Key will decide Aimea and Katie's fate. Please pray for them. ;
UPDATE: Katie told her court appointed attorney to demand a continuance because he was not prepared, so did I. He must have been under the gun somehow because he sreamed in my face, "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" That shocked me, I mean it truley frieghtened me, although I tried not to let it show. I said " Don't you yell at me, how dare you?" We went in the courtroom and I could feel it in the air...she's here! I was never allowed in the courtroom before and now that the law states they are to be open unless good reason to close, I walked right in and sat behind my daughter. Her Lawyer soon returned and told Katie that he had spoken with the SAAG and was denied a continuance. Well I know that the SAAG is the Attorney for CPS (DFCS) and I have always been under the impression that a continuance would be something to ask the judge for. That was never brought up. This Attorney helped Katie to lose her parental Rights to Mimi! Part of his duties to his clients is to make sure and leave something on the record so that the ruling might be appealable. Wonder how he could have done it if he wanted to, he didn't know anything about my daughters current situation and obviously any of the past since he was appointed to her in Feb., 2009.
Katie's Rights to Aimea were terminated that day. May 18th, 2010. She is now, forever changed!
Families are being torn apart left and right. My late husband was an attorney who practiced law for almost 30 years. I'm so glad he isn't here today to see how corrupt his collegues have become. Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed things would be like they are. It is a fact though and we can either sit back and allow this to continue or we can band together and demand change! One lawsuit won't do it! One hundred lawsuits won't do it! To bring down this empire of corruption it will take us all pulling together by county, by state! There IS power in numbers.
http://parentalrights2.blogspot.com/2010/05/regarding-child-protective-services-few.html
CPS: Protecting Children or Destroying Families?
CPS: Protecting Children or Destroying Families?
Parents organize group in an effort to reform Child Protective Services | open story
Robin Cash is on a mission: to win a battle against the state's Child Protective Services arm of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. The department, she charges, is doing more harm than good to Texas families and their children. "Don't get me wrong, we need CPS, there are children who are really abused," she said. "But there are also a lot of abuses in the system that need to be addressed." To Cash, those abuses include under-trained caseworkers, caseworkers lying in court documents, kids being sent to unqualified therapists, and parents who are railroaded into relinquishing their parental rights.
Two months ago Cash placed an ad in the Chronicle. "Do you feel CPS has hurt your family?" it read. "Do you have concerns about your children and the system?" Cash says she was overwhelmed by the response. "I got 1,000 e-mails in the first week." From that one ad arose a new parents advocacy group: Parents Get United, composed of parents who, like Cash, feel the CPS system is in need of reform. Through meeting with other parents, Cash said she has learned that her struggle with CPS is, unfortunately, not that unusual.
Cash's version of her own experience is harrowing. In January 2000, Cash told the Chronicle, she was trying to get herself and her two twin boys out of an abusive home. She asked her pastor to care for her kids while she got a protective order against her common-law husband. But before she could do so, Cash was arrested on charges filed by her husband -- who had gone to the police first, claiming she had hit him. Cash says her husband was already a two-time loser, potentially facing a long stint in jail as a result of their most recent fight. This time Cash had actually fought back. "So, he had to beat me to the paperwork," she said. Cash spent four days in jail, while her sister called CPS to see if there were any services they could provide to help Cash and her children get things together on their own.
According to Cash, instead of offering help, a CPS caseworker came to her pastor's house, told him Cash would be in jail for at least four months (although she was scheduled to be released that day), and took the kids into CPS custody. Cash began a protracted fight to get her kids back, she said, thus far to no avail. Her parental rights have since been taken away, and she hasn't seen her boys in months.
"If you don't think this is ripping my heart out ... I've got to do something," she said. In response to her Chronicle ad, Cash has been contacted by parents, lawyers, an investigator from the human rights commission, even a former CPS caseworker -- all agreeing that CPS needs taming. "This is a wide, sweeping problem across the country, and Texas has its share," said Chuck Ragland, a former CPS caseworker in Van Zandt County. "And we are seeing a groundswell of parents getting upset." Ragland spent eight years as a caseworker and says he saw so many problems with the system that he dedicated his last three years with CPS to "making a concerted effort to try and figure out exactly what is going on." What he saw, he says, was troubling: caseworkers falsifying documents and removing children from families for very little, if any, cause. "They feel like they are above the law because they are doing something noble," he said. "They think, we might make some mistakes, but so what?"
To Aaron Reed, CPS spokesman for the Central Texas region, the allegations are frustrating. "Mostly we get accused of not taking enough action," Reed said, citing two Central Texas child deaths in the past two weeks, in families where CPS had made contact but had not removed the children. Reed says the charges of caseworker misconduct and railroading of families are inaccurate. "There's a law against perjury," he said. "When a caseworker is sworn in [by the court], it is just as any other witness, they are bound by the law." Reed said the agency now uses a more proactive model of trying to assess at-risk families and take action before abuses occur, but he doesn't believe this leads to more mistakes by caseworkers. The agency tries to identify at-risk families by a host of objectives, he said, most notably by reviewing abuse- and neglect-related deaths. "We look at those to see what factors are common between them and identify behaviors that place families at risk," he said. "It's not perfect, but it's a better system and a fairly accurate system. If we err, we would prefer to err on the side of safety."
Reed estimates that in the 30-county Central Texas region, CPS removes from their homes about 100 children per month. During 2000, in Travis County alone, there were 1,653 CPS confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect, and CPS spent $13.8 million on foster care services. Numbers for 2001 will not be ready until next month, but the problem is not disappearing.
To Cash and Ragland, the agency's mistakes have gotten out of control, and they place some of the blame on the agency's "at-risk" focus. "A lot of the caseworkers are trained with the mindset that there are all these problem families, and they are out to get them," Ragland said. While Cash and Ragland agree that CPS serves a vital function, they believe the strong emphasis on at-risk situations -- largely found among low-income and minority families -- puts some healthy families, or families actively trying to better their situations, at an even bigger risk. Ragland adds that since federal grant funding has become increasingly tied to at-risk management in lower-income families, CPS's focus has become more of a funding necessity. "Listen to the storm," he said. "You'll see a pattern. Their responsibilities have become way too broad."
CPS's Reed and spokeswoman Marla Sheeley say the goal of the agency is to protect children and, in every possible situation, keep families together. "The first thing we do," said Sheeley, "is make every reasonable effort to keep children in the home or to return the child to the home."
Cash, Ragland, and the other parents and advocates involved in Parents Get United say they are in the fight for the long haul, and the group has been meeting with a group of state legislators interested in CPS reform. "They want to know what, really, the true issues are as a foundation for their work and what issues need to be added to legislation," said Ragland. "Really, for things to change, and to stop the corruption, the whole system really needs to be turned on its head."
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/ReaderComments/?ContainerID=84190
Parents organize group in an effort to reform Child Protective Services | open story
Robin Cash is on a mission: to win a battle against the state's Child Protective Services arm of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. The department, she charges, is doing more harm than good to Texas families and their children. "Don't get me wrong, we need CPS, there are children who are really abused," she said. "But there are also a lot of abuses in the system that need to be addressed." To Cash, those abuses include under-trained caseworkers, caseworkers lying in court documents, kids being sent to unqualified therapists, and parents who are railroaded into relinquishing their parental rights.
Two months ago Cash placed an ad in the Chronicle. "Do you feel CPS has hurt your family?" it read. "Do you have concerns about your children and the system?" Cash says she was overwhelmed by the response. "I got 1,000 e-mails in the first week." From that one ad arose a new parents advocacy group: Parents Get United, composed of parents who, like Cash, feel the CPS system is in need of reform. Through meeting with other parents, Cash said she has learned that her struggle with CPS is, unfortunately, not that unusual.
Cash's version of her own experience is harrowing. In January 2000, Cash told the Chronicle, she was trying to get herself and her two twin boys out of an abusive home. She asked her pastor to care for her kids while she got a protective order against her common-law husband. But before she could do so, Cash was arrested on charges filed by her husband -- who had gone to the police first, claiming she had hit him. Cash says her husband was already a two-time loser, potentially facing a long stint in jail as a result of their most recent fight. This time Cash had actually fought back. "So, he had to beat me to the paperwork," she said. Cash spent four days in jail, while her sister called CPS to see if there were any services they could provide to help Cash and her children get things together on their own.
According to Cash, instead of offering help, a CPS caseworker came to her pastor's house, told him Cash would be in jail for at least four months (although she was scheduled to be released that day), and took the kids into CPS custody. Cash began a protracted fight to get her kids back, she said, thus far to no avail. Her parental rights have since been taken away, and she hasn't seen her boys in months.
"If you don't think this is ripping my heart out ... I've got to do something," she said. In response to her Chronicle ad, Cash has been contacted by parents, lawyers, an investigator from the human rights commission, even a former CPS caseworker -- all agreeing that CPS needs taming. "This is a wide, sweeping problem across the country, and Texas has its share," said Chuck Ragland, a former CPS caseworker in Van Zandt County. "And we are seeing a groundswell of parents getting upset." Ragland spent eight years as a caseworker and says he saw so many problems with the system that he dedicated his last three years with CPS to "making a concerted effort to try and figure out exactly what is going on." What he saw, he says, was troubling: caseworkers falsifying documents and removing children from families for very little, if any, cause. "They feel like they are above the law because they are doing something noble," he said. "They think, we might make some mistakes, but so what?"
To Aaron Reed, CPS spokesman for the Central Texas region, the allegations are frustrating. "Mostly we get accused of not taking enough action," Reed said, citing two Central Texas child deaths in the past two weeks, in families where CPS had made contact but had not removed the children. Reed says the charges of caseworker misconduct and railroading of families are inaccurate. "There's a law against perjury," he said. "When a caseworker is sworn in [by the court], it is just as any other witness, they are bound by the law." Reed said the agency now uses a more proactive model of trying to assess at-risk families and take action before abuses occur, but he doesn't believe this leads to more mistakes by caseworkers. The agency tries to identify at-risk families by a host of objectives, he said, most notably by reviewing abuse- and neglect-related deaths. "We look at those to see what factors are common between them and identify behaviors that place families at risk," he said. "It's not perfect, but it's a better system and a fairly accurate system. If we err, we would prefer to err on the side of safety."
Reed estimates that in the 30-county Central Texas region, CPS removes from their homes about 100 children per month. During 2000, in Travis County alone, there were 1,653 CPS confirmed cases of child abuse or neglect, and CPS spent $13.8 million on foster care services. Numbers for 2001 will not be ready until next month, but the problem is not disappearing.
To Cash and Ragland, the agency's mistakes have gotten out of control, and they place some of the blame on the agency's "at-risk" focus. "A lot of the caseworkers are trained with the mindset that there are all these problem families, and they are out to get them," Ragland said. While Cash and Ragland agree that CPS serves a vital function, they believe the strong emphasis on at-risk situations -- largely found among low-income and minority families -- puts some healthy families, or families actively trying to better their situations, at an even bigger risk. Ragland adds that since federal grant funding has become increasingly tied to at-risk management in lower-income families, CPS's focus has become more of a funding necessity. "Listen to the storm," he said. "You'll see a pattern. Their responsibilities have become way too broad."
CPS's Reed and spokeswoman Marla Sheeley say the goal of the agency is to protect children and, in every possible situation, keep families together. "The first thing we do," said Sheeley, "is make every reasonable effort to keep children in the home or to return the child to the home."
Cash, Ragland, and the other parents and advocates involved in Parents Get United say they are in the fight for the long haul, and the group has been meeting with a group of state legislators interested in CPS reform. "They want to know what, really, the true issues are as a foundation for their work and what issues need to be added to legislation," said Ragland. "Really, for things to change, and to stop the corruption, the whole system really needs to be turned on its head."
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/ReaderComments/?ContainerID=84190
Parents sue Wal-Mart & Arizona after CPS takes children because of bathtub photos
Parents sue Wal-Mart & Arizona after CPS takes children because of bathtub photos
September 14, 8:00 AMAlbany CPS and Family Court ExaminerDaniel Weaver
Arizona Government Buildings. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Lisa and Anthony Demaree of Maricopa County, Arizona have filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General and the City of Peoria, after their children were taken away by Child Protective Services because of photos the parents took of their children while on vacation in San Diego.
The photos were of their young children at play and in the bathtub. An employee of the Wal-Mart store where the Demarees took the photos to be processed notified authorities of the photos.
The photos, however, were not child porn, but simply the type of photos that most Americans have taken of their children when they were babies or toddlers. The Demarees not only had their children taken, but the children were examined for sexual abuse.
Furthermore, according to the lawsuit, "On September 3, 2008, Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Hunter, acting within the scope of her employment, published defamatory remarks to more than thirty-five family members and friends of plaintiffs, falsely stating that plaintiffs Lisa and A.J. Demaree "sexually abused" their children." The Demarees' eomplaint also alleges that "Peoria Police Detective Krause made false and defamatory statements to agents and employees of the Defendants." Among the statements made by Krause was one "that said parents were engaged in illegal actions by taking bath and play time photos of their children."
No evidence of sexual abuse was found, and the parents were cleared of all charges. However the Demarees, along with Mrs. Demaree's parents who have joined them in the lawsuit, state that the "Defendants intentionally inflicted severe emotional distress on Plaintiffs." The Demarees state that they have also suffered from headaches, nightmares, a general feeling of malaise, shock to their nervous systems, grief and depression.
The Demarees are leaving the amount of damages to a jury. They have also filed a separate lawsuit against Wal-Mart.
Copyright 2009 Daniel Weaver. Permission is granted to republish the first two paragraphs of this article on any website, as long as a link to this page is provided. Republishing or posting this article in its entirety on any website, including blogs, is both illegal and unethical.
For more info: Read more articles by Dan Weaver on child protective services and related topics.
More About: Child Protective Services · CPS Horror Stories · Arizona
http://www.examiner.com/x-14537-Albany-CPS-and-Family-Court-Examiner~y2009m9d14-Parents-sue-WalMart--Arizona-after-CPS-takes-children-because-of-bathtub-photos?cid=examiner-email
September 14, 8:00 AMAlbany CPS and Family Court ExaminerDaniel Weaver
Arizona Government Buildings. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Lisa and Anthony Demaree of Maricopa County, Arizona have filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General and the City of Peoria, after their children were taken away by Child Protective Services because of photos the parents took of their children while on vacation in San Diego.
The photos were of their young children at play and in the bathtub. An employee of the Wal-Mart store where the Demarees took the photos to be processed notified authorities of the photos.
The photos, however, were not child porn, but simply the type of photos that most Americans have taken of their children when they were babies or toddlers. The Demarees not only had their children taken, but the children were examined for sexual abuse.
Furthermore, according to the lawsuit, "On September 3, 2008, Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Hunter, acting within the scope of her employment, published defamatory remarks to more than thirty-five family members and friends of plaintiffs, falsely stating that plaintiffs Lisa and A.J. Demaree "sexually abused" their children." The Demarees' eomplaint also alleges that "Peoria Police Detective Krause made false and defamatory statements to agents and employees of the Defendants." Among the statements made by Krause was one "that said parents were engaged in illegal actions by taking bath and play time photos of their children."
No evidence of sexual abuse was found, and the parents were cleared of all charges. However the Demarees, along with Mrs. Demaree's parents who have joined them in the lawsuit, state that the "Defendants intentionally inflicted severe emotional distress on Plaintiffs." The Demarees state that they have also suffered from headaches, nightmares, a general feeling of malaise, shock to their nervous systems, grief and depression.
The Demarees are leaving the amount of damages to a jury. They have also filed a separate lawsuit against Wal-Mart.
Copyright 2009 Daniel Weaver. Permission is granted to republish the first two paragraphs of this article on any website, as long as a link to this page is provided. Republishing or posting this article in its entirety on any website, including blogs, is both illegal and unethical.
For more info: Read more articles by Dan Weaver on child protective services and related topics.
More About: Child Protective Services · CPS Horror Stories · Arizona
http://www.examiner.com/x-14537-Albany-CPS-and-Family-Court-Examiner~y2009m9d14-Parents-sue-WalMart--Arizona-after-CPS-takes-children-because-of-bathtub-photos?cid=examiner-email
Delaware's justice system overlooks the value of family Strong bonds reduce recidivism (NH is no better!)
Delaware's justice system overlooks the value of family
Strong bonds reduce recidivism
unhappygrammy-(NH's Justice system is no better, along with many of the other states. Between the courts and DCYF/CPS, the value of family doesn't mean anything anymore)
Families make up the social fabric of what society is and how society develops. According to the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, 2.3 million people were held in federal and state prisons and jails in 2007.
Imagine the millions of family members, including children, who are directly affected. Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, put it well when he said, "Prisons separate prisoners from their families. Every individual sent to prison leaves behind a network of family relationships.
"Prisoners are children, parents, siblings and kin to untold numbers of relatives who are each affected differently by a family member's arrest, incarceration and ultimate homecoming."
Studies show that strong family ties during incarceration have a positive effect on people returning from prison, and those who have access to family support are more successful than those who do not in various re-entry outcomes.
The Family & Corrections Network concurred, issuing the following statement at the First National Leadership Conference on Families of Adult Offenders in 1986: "Strong prisoner-family relationships reduce recidivism, and stronger family ties for offenders mean safer communities."
A number of recommendations were made as a result of this conference. They include training agency staff to value and respect offenders' families; providing family support services throughout the criminal justice process, from arrest through release; providing adequate access to information for families, even orientating them to the criminal justice processes; and providing special training to agency staff regarding treatment of prisoners' children.
It was collectively determined by conference participants, ranging from law and government representatives to local and faith-based practitioners, that it is "in the best interest of the criminal justice system to maintain and strengthen family ties through the adoption of system-wide policies and programs."
Unfortunately, the criminal justice system as a whole lacks adequate support for prisoner-family relationships and, to date, Delaware is no exception. The current I-ADAPT Re-entry Model has no mention of the importance of supporting family relationships among prisoners.
The model, implemented with a back-end emphasis, focuses a large portion of its current application on the need and importance of community organizations providing support to prisoners upon release.
The Delaware Department of Correction's policy regarding offender re-entry names 12 criteria "to be reviewed, addressed or services provided," none of which mention the families of prisoners or supporting family ties during incarceration or beyond. After further investigation, I learned there are no policies, programs or services that exist at all within DOC that support maintaining or strengthening prisoner-family relationships.
As a concerned citizen and advocate, I say this must change. The evidence exists and the data are clear that positive family relationships play a significant role in a prisoner's incarceration, rehabilitation and successful transition and re-entry back to society. Family members of prisoners have been criminalized with their loved ones for merely caring and giving their support.
In reality, family members of prisoners are the underlying allies in cultivating safer prison environments and safer communities.
There are a number of prisoners who do not have any family support or family relationships at all. These are the prisoners who will rely most heavily on the numerous stabilization services our community and faith-based organizations provide in order to successfully reintegrate. However, there are a number of prisoners whose family members are present in our communities and committed to supporting their loved ones.
These families, already in a crisis due to the incarceration, work tirelessly to navigate a system that shamelessly dismisses their worth and value. Family members go on to deal with harsh and insensitive treatment by those employed in criminal justice agencies. This behavior is modeled from the highest leadership down, and this should not be so.
Every autonomous component of our criminal justice system should realize the significance of supporting family-prisoner relationships and its benefits to society.
Will Delaware take seriously the opportunity to do what is not only effective but right when it comes to preserving Delaware families, reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety? Families are counting on it.
Does that mean changing the way some things are done? Absolutely.
Albert Einstein said it best in words of timeless wisdom: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
Heather Smith-Chandler, co-founder of Link of Love, a support and resource network
for families with incarcerated loved ones, lives in Dover.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100530/OPINION08/5300301/1004/OPINION
Strong bonds reduce recidivism
unhappygrammy-(NH's Justice system is no better, along with many of the other states. Between the courts and DCYF/CPS, the value of family doesn't mean anything anymore)
Families make up the social fabric of what society is and how society develops. According to the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, 2.3 million people were held in federal and state prisons and jails in 2007.
Imagine the millions of family members, including children, who are directly affected. Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, put it well when he said, "Prisons separate prisoners from their families. Every individual sent to prison leaves behind a network of family relationships.
"Prisoners are children, parents, siblings and kin to untold numbers of relatives who are each affected differently by a family member's arrest, incarceration and ultimate homecoming."
Studies show that strong family ties during incarceration have a positive effect on people returning from prison, and those who have access to family support are more successful than those who do not in various re-entry outcomes.
The Family & Corrections Network concurred, issuing the following statement at the First National Leadership Conference on Families of Adult Offenders in 1986: "Strong prisoner-family relationships reduce recidivism, and stronger family ties for offenders mean safer communities."
A number of recommendations were made as a result of this conference. They include training agency staff to value and respect offenders' families; providing family support services throughout the criminal justice process, from arrest through release; providing adequate access to information for families, even orientating them to the criminal justice processes; and providing special training to agency staff regarding treatment of prisoners' children.
It was collectively determined by conference participants, ranging from law and government representatives to local and faith-based practitioners, that it is "in the best interest of the criminal justice system to maintain and strengthen family ties through the adoption of system-wide policies and programs."
Unfortunately, the criminal justice system as a whole lacks adequate support for prisoner-family relationships and, to date, Delaware is no exception. The current I-ADAPT Re-entry Model has no mention of the importance of supporting family relationships among prisoners.
The model, implemented with a back-end emphasis, focuses a large portion of its current application on the need and importance of community organizations providing support to prisoners upon release.
The Delaware Department of Correction's policy regarding offender re-entry names 12 criteria "to be reviewed, addressed or services provided," none of which mention the families of prisoners or supporting family ties during incarceration or beyond. After further investigation, I learned there are no policies, programs or services that exist at all within DOC that support maintaining or strengthening prisoner-family relationships.
As a concerned citizen and advocate, I say this must change. The evidence exists and the data are clear that positive family relationships play a significant role in a prisoner's incarceration, rehabilitation and successful transition and re-entry back to society. Family members of prisoners have been criminalized with their loved ones for merely caring and giving their support.
In reality, family members of prisoners are the underlying allies in cultivating safer prison environments and safer communities.
There are a number of prisoners who do not have any family support or family relationships at all. These are the prisoners who will rely most heavily on the numerous stabilization services our community and faith-based organizations provide in order to successfully reintegrate. However, there are a number of prisoners whose family members are present in our communities and committed to supporting their loved ones.
These families, already in a crisis due to the incarceration, work tirelessly to navigate a system that shamelessly dismisses their worth and value. Family members go on to deal with harsh and insensitive treatment by those employed in criminal justice agencies. This behavior is modeled from the highest leadership down, and this should not be so.
Every autonomous component of our criminal justice system should realize the significance of supporting family-prisoner relationships and its benefits to society.
Will Delaware take seriously the opportunity to do what is not only effective but right when it comes to preserving Delaware families, reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety? Families are counting on it.
Does that mean changing the way some things are done? Absolutely.
Albert Einstein said it best in words of timeless wisdom: "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
Heather Smith-Chandler, co-founder of Link of Love, a support and resource network
for families with incarcerated loved ones, lives in Dover.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100530/OPINION08/5300301/1004/OPINION
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