4 ms·

Statistically, these "mother wrongly arrested" stories are about as rare as genuine child abductions. Avoiding parenthood because of them is as irrational as re

by xamuel 8y ago

Statistically, these "mother wrongly arrested" stories are about as rare as genuine child abductions. Avoiding parenthood because of them is as irrational as reporting a woman for leaving her child in the car for five minutes. (Not that that's an excuse for the abominable actions of law enforcement in the story. Shame on the police, prosecutors, and judges involved.)

magduf 8y ago
The problem is it's not that rare. The police, prosecutors, and judges involved here are still there, and they're going to consistently act this way towards parents under their jurisdiction. The only rational way to deal with this is to leave that place. And many places in the US are just like this now; sure, you could move to rural Montana and maybe avoid this, but good luck getting a decent job there.
convivialdingo 8y ago
I used to think the same thing, but having raised kids I have told my own two adult children to raise their kids abroad. The Stasi-like laws are real. Anonymous tips, school and medical required reporting laws, assumed guilt and state harassment are the status quo. I’ve known too many families that get caught up by CPS. In poor communities the harassment is disturbing. Parenting while poor is apparently against the law. Few parents know their limited rights - so they usually talk with CPS before consulting an attorney and get caught up in the system for years when they likely did nothing wrong. Every CPS encounter is for the primary purpose of gathering evidence against the accused. Those conversations are twisted into the most negative light possible, editorialized and presented as evidence in court. I’ve read the cases. There are 2.3M CPS cases a year(2014), and there are 3-4M children born each year. These statistics alone show a marked trend of state harassment against families. I appreciate and understand that CPS has a role in protecting children. I just think the system is broken, wrong and often unjust. CPS is likely causing more harm than good for most children, even if they help a small minority.

by xamuel 8y ago

magduf 8y ago

The problem is it's not that rare. The police, prosecutors, and judges involved here are still there, and they're going to consistently act this way towards parents under their jurisdiction. The only rational way to deal with this is to leave that place. And many places in the US are just like this now; sure, you could move to rural Montana and maybe avoid this, but good luck getting a decent job there.

convivialdingo 8y ago

I used to think the same thing, but having raised kids I have told my own two adult children to raise their kids abroad. The Stasi-like laws are real. Anonymous tips, school and medical required reporting laws, assumed guilt and state harassment are the status quo. I’ve known too many families that get caught up by CPS. In poor communities the harassment is disturbing. Parenting while poor is apparently against the law. Few parents know their limited rights - so they usually talk with CPS before consulting an attorney and get caught up in the system for years when they likely did nothing wrong. Every CPS encounter is for the primary purpose of gathering evidence against the accused. Those conversations are twisted into the most negative light possible, editorialized and presented as evidence in court. I’ve read the cases. There are 2.3M CPS cases a year(2014), and there are 3-4M children born each year. These statistics alone show a marked trend of state harassment against families. I appreciate and understand that CPS has a role in protecting children. I just think the system is broken, wrong and often unjust. CPS is likely causing more harm than good for most children, even if they help a small minority.