CHILD ABUSE

Comment by Please Help Missing Children on March 29, 2009 at 12:37pm

Comment by Please Help Missing Children on April 12, 2009 at 10:40am

Prevention, education key to curbing child abuse

By Frenchi Jones
Staff writer
fjones@coastalcourier.com
Posted: April 10, 2009 1:05 p.m.
Updated: April 10, 2009 1:01 p.m.



Three-year-old Prince Davis Jr. didn’t stand a chance against his adult attackers.
According to records filed in Liberty County Superior Court, the Riceboro boy’s severely malnourished body sustained injuries over an extended time before not being able to take any more.
He was found dead on Jan. 16, 2007.
His cousin, Andrea Wilson, 35, and her boyfriend, Corey Brown, 38, are the suspected abusers. Both have been charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Keith Moran, chief deputy for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department, said the case was one of the worst cases he ever saw.
“While that was an extreme case of criminal abuse, cases to that degree are not that common,” he said.
What is common, according to Leah Poole, director of Prevent Child Abuse Liberty, are the alarming numbers of child neglect cases being reported in the county.
“Most people think that child abuse means that a child has been sexually abused in some way,” she said, “but most of the cases we see are cases that involve some form of neglect.”
“[Parents] don’t clothe them properly, feed them properly or clean them properly,” she said. “And teachers are mandatory reporters so they report them.”
In 2008, Liberty County Child Protective Services reported that the county had a total of 961 “called-in” cases of child abuse.
Two-hundred of those cases were found to be substantiated incidents of abuse or neglect.
Poole said what people have to remember is that those figures, while seemingly small, can be misleading.
“There might have been eight kids or five kids in one family,” she said. “So the total of abused or neglected children could have been more like 1,000.”
According to Poole, abusers don’t discriminate. “Child abuse is not a black or white, male or female issue,” she said. “It is a Liberty County issue.”
At times, Poole, who also sits on the county’s Child Fatality Review Board, said parents might not know they are being abusive.
“When we’re reviewing cases, we try to see where the holes are. We noticed an abundance of infant fatalities due to sudden infant death syndrome or sudden unexpected death syndrome,” she said.
“It is very scary to realize that there are children who die here.”
Education is the key to preventing such incidents, Poole said.
“We focus a lot of our efforts on the after-effects of abuse when we really should focus more on prevention,” she said.
Poole pointed out that in 2006 $104 billion was spent on the after-effects, while for every million, only one dollar was spent on prevention.
“A lot of it is education,” she said. “That’s what PCAL tries to do,” she said. “We’ve created posted notes on SIDS and SUIDS, we have a three-part prevention program called Stop It Now! Georgia, where we send our trained people out to do classes for free.”
“We want people to know children are just little people,” she said. “They don’t deserve to hurt.”


http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/13074/

Comment by Please Help Missing Children on June 28, 2009 at 10:19am

Baby James Law

Children are placed back into the hands of their abuser to only end up being abused again, or worse, deceased. These abusers have more children, walk our streets, and become babysitters, sometimes teachers and coaches, generally remaining a presence in our communities and in the lives of our young people. More evidence needs brought forward to prevent false charges, so true abusers can be sentenced for the crime.


The new law will state that if a person has had two physicians or psychiatrists who have indicated they are mentally unable to care for a child, they are not allowed to parent more children. They will have their own child removed from their home, and are never able to have them returned.

These evaluations need to be done within a month apart and clarify why this person is not capable of taking care of a child. A criminal court and a jury by the individual’s peers will then review the case and make the final decision.

When an abuser has been found guilty for violent abuse they are then forced to register for life, and are never able to be left alone with a child under the age of 18 years.

A child abuser found guilty serves minimum of 10 years for a child case not deceased, 25 years for a child case that has permanent physical damage, and 50 years for a child case that involves death of a child. In none of these cases is there a possibility of parole.

A child abuser found guilty of an internet sex crime involving an child is never is allowed access to a computer hooked up to Internet access.

An accused child abuser involving sex, molestation, penetration, fondling, or similar abuse shall receive a full evaluation both psychological and physical regarding the said case before being sentenced to guilty. The said child shall have a physical and psychological evaluation as well by a trained personal of this nature. The physical evaluation shall include a rape kit and/or hospital evaluation used as evidence.

A child abuser that has been found guilty of violent abuse must not reside within 500 feet of a park, daycare facility, school, or any functions involving children, and at no time should they go to these places for visiting purposes.

The abuser that is found guilty will receive mental evaluation as well as a weekly counseling appointment that MUST be kept.

In the event where a person or persons witnesses a child abuse case and does not report it to the authorities within 8 hours of the incident they can be convicted of 5 years. After release they will then receive counseling for 5 years for child neglect and abuse nature.

The term Abuser shall include and not limited to the following: a person whom has caused physical, sexual, mental harm, to one or more children under there care and under the age of 18years. Abuser shall also constitute, neglect or subjecting the child to drug or alcohol use.

The term Violent Abuse shall include and not limited to the following: repeat abuse convictions of at least two counts and/or charges of two different victims, permanent injury has been caused to the child (this can include but not limited to physical, mental, emotional.), or death of the victim.
please sign pentition

Online petition - Baby James' Foundation & Law

The Baby James Foundation's goal is to create, nationally, an environment that assures:

*
A network fighting to keep children safe out of their abuser's arms forever.
* Support for abused children and their non-abusive families.
* Changing the present laws, making all forms of abuse treated the same according to the severity of the crime.
* Helping adult survivors overorge their childhood abuse.
* Helping children who have lost their lives because of abuse have respectful memorials as well as helping their memories stay alive.
* Educate the public about all forms of child abuse and neglect.
* Helping false accusations orge to a minimum.

In order to acorgplish these goals, the Baby James Foundation works closely with God, other organizations, survivors, families, professionals, State representatives, and private citizens to create a solid base awareness and support for children of abuse all over the world.

Baby James Foundation receives funding by membership dues, donations, grants, and fundraiser's to help children of abuse and their non-abusive families. Remember BJF the next time you are making a memorial. Talk to your estate planner about arrangements in your trust or will. Donations need to be made specifically to BJF to keep funding to the children of abuse.

http://survivorslounge.ning.com/forum/topics/james-law?xgs=1

Comment by wansfell on August 7, 2009 at 2:11pm

i am also a survivor of physical and mental abuse (parental) and know of a few other cases that have slipped through the 40 ft wide cracks...

Comment by Please Help Missing Children on September 28, 2009 at 11:02pm

Kelsey Briggs <3
Rest in peace sweet angel

Comment by Please Help Missing Children on January 1, 2010 at 6:28pm

latimes.com
Infant's death rekindles scrutiny of L.A. County child services agency
Authorities deemed Diamond Hillman's mother fit to care for her, even though the woman's two other children had been removed from her home. Four months later, Diamond was dead.
By Kim Christensen

December 30, 2009

Five months before Diamond Hillman was born last July, her two half siblings were removed from their mother's home.

Social workers found that she had spanked her 6-year-old daughter with a belt, scrubbed her face so hard it left welts and sent her to school in diapers.

Despite that finding, and a resulting court order that the 28-year-old mother have only monitored visits with the two older children, child welfare authorities deemed her fit to care for Diamond.

The child lived just four months. She died Nov. 22, allegedly at the hands of her stepfather, a convicted batterer with whom the mother had left the baby, according to court records and a confidential child-fatality report obtained by The Times.

Her death comes amid growing public scrutiny of suspected abuse and neglect fatalities among children whose families at some point were under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

There were 14 such deaths in 2008 and at least that many this year, though some remain under investigation, according to department officials and records recently made public under California law.

Diamond's death is being investigated by the department, Santa Monica police and the L.A. County coroner's office.

Many of those deaths occurred after children left the department's watch -- to return to their families after a stint in foster care or to enter the criminal justice system, records show.

But Diamond's case calls the department's vigilance into greater question, because she was still under its direct supervision when she was killed.

Donald Renald Hillman Jr., 33, a resident of Santa Monica and her mother's estranged husband, has pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse.

He is being held in lieu of $1-million bail.

The mother was not identified in the child-fatality report and has not been charged. She did not respond to a phone message left with a man at her last known address.

Shortly after Diamond's birth, her mother told Hillman that he was not the girl's father, "but he accepted Diamond as his child," the report states. Although separated from Hillman, the mother left Diamond with him Oct. 4 while she met with a friend.

Hillman, who is 6 foot 1 and weighs 245 pounds, allegedly shook the infant so hard that day that she suffered retinal hemorrhaging and a traumatic brain injury.

When he brought her to a hospital emergency room in full cardiac arrest and not breathing, he told doctors the injuries were accidental.

"According to Diamond's stepfather, Diamond was asleep in her bassinet when her two-year-old half-sibling ran into the room and somehow fell over the bassinet," the report states.

The attending physician said that explanation didn't jibe with the baby's injuries, which "appeared to be the result of being shaken," the report notes.

Doctors twice resuscitated the infant and placed her on a ventilator, Santa Monica police said. She spent the next six weeks on life support, which was removed Nov. 22, police said.

An autopsy supported the shaken-baby diagnosis and Hillman was arrested Dec. 7 after he attended Diamond's funeral, police said.

The cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation by the coroner's office.

"As a result of the circumstances surrounding Diamond's death, the Department will perform a comprehensive review and analysis of our prior involvement with Diamond and her family," the report said in part.

Social workers are trained to give extra consideration to the cases of children who are age 2 and younger, because they are considered the most vulnerable and the least likely to be observed by people outside the home.

Trish Ploehn, who heads the child welfare agency, would not say if social workers had been disciplined for their handling of Diamond's case, but noted that such action is taken when warranted. Social worker error was a factor in 10 of the 14 deaths in 2008 among children with prior involvement with her department, Ploehn said earlier this year.

She declined to comment on circumstances surrounding Diamond's death, which she called "a tragedy for our entire county."

"The safety and the well-being of all children in Los Angeles County remains our highest priority," Ploehn said in a statement.

One of the key issues under review, according to the internal report, is whether the department acted appropriately in keeping Diamond with her mother, who was still subject to monitored visitation with the older children, then 2 and 6.

Also under scrutiny is a decision by the department last February to place the 2-year-old with Hillman despite his criminal history, the report said. Hillman is the child's biological father.

A search of Los Angeles County Superior Court records for Hillman turned up convictions for burglary, drug abuse and battery dating to 1998.

In 2005, he was charged with felony domestic violence but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of battery, court records show.

A marijuana possession charge was dismissed.

The court file did not identify the battery victim, although the original felony charge was based on the alleged infliction of injury upon a "spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or the mother or father of his or her child."

Hillman was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation, and ordered to undergo domestic violence counseling, including anger management.

In 2006, he was kicked out of a "batterers treatment program" after missing four of six meetings, court records show.

The county report states that Diamond's family had been the subject of six prior abuse and neglect complaints since 2004, when the oldest child, then 18 months old, was alleged to be hungry and living with her mother in a motel with no cooking facilities.

When a social worker could not find them, that allegation was deemed inconclusive .

Subsequent allegations of general neglect, sexual abuse and physical abuse in 2006, 2007 and 2008 involving the oldest child were all deemed inconclusive or unfounded, the report states.

In late January 2009, social workers substantiated allegations that the girl, then 6, had been physically and emotionally abused by her mother.

Besides striking her with a belt, the woman also had interfered with the girl's relationship with her father, who was not Hillman, and had created "a detrimental environment" that caused her to act out aggressively.

The girl and her younger sibling were then taken from their mother and placed with their biological fathers.

When Diamond was born, the woman was "actively participating in court-ordered services and had nearly completed the required case plan activities," the report noted.

So she was permitted to sign onto a "family maintenance plan" that allowed her to keep her new daughter at home, the report said.

"That agreement remained in place at the time that Diamond suffered the injuries that resulted in her death," the report said.



kim.christensen@latimes.com

Times staff writer Garrett Therolf and researcher Scott Wilson contributed to this report.


latimes.com/news/local/la-me-child-death30-2009dec30,0,7229655.story

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