CALIFORNIA News

(Los Angeles) May 12, 2010 -- California is creating homeless adults by
failing to ensure that youth in foster care are given the support to
live independently as adults and by ending state support abruptly, Human
Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch said
that the state should provide financial support, connections with
adults, shelter, and other safety nets for young people as they make the
transition toward independence.

The 70-page report, "My So-Called
Emancipation: From Foster Care to Homelessness for California Youth,"
documents the struggles of foster care youth who become homeless after
turning 18, or "aging out" of the state's care, without sufficient
preparation or support for adulthood. California's foster care system
serves 65,000 children and youth, far more than any other single state.
Of the 4,000 who age out of the system each year, research suggests, 20
percent or more become homeless.

"By failing to prepare youth in
foster care for adulthood and cutting them off from support abruptly as
they become adults, California is failing in its duty to these young
people," said Elizabeth Calvin, senior advocate for children's rights at
Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "These young people are
capable of making the transition successfully, but they cannot do it
without the state's help."

This month the state is considering
dramatic cuts to child welfare services, which would eliminate an
existing transitional living program, over 400 social workers, and other
programs for foster youth preparing for adulthood.

"These
proposed budget cuts would undermine foster youth's main defense against
living on the streets," Calvin said. "The state will bear the costs of
the predictable result - increased homelessness."

Most children
enter foster care because abuse or neglect at home triggers the duty of
the state to step in and protect them. The state becomes their parent
and must ensure that children have adequate food, clothing, shelter,
health care, and education. But the responsibility to provide the
guidance and support necessary for children in foster care to grow into
independent adults is no less important, Human Rights Watch said.

Human
Rights Watch interviewed 63 young people who became homeless after they
left foster care in California. Their stories shed light on the complex
array of factors that led to their homelessness: missed opportunities
to learn skills, lack of ability to support themselves, a shortage of
second chances, and the fact that no one cared what happened to them.

Of
those interviewed, 65 percent had not graduated from high school when
they were forced out of state care; 90 percent had no source of income.
These young people were expected to survive on their own, though the
state had provided little training for adult living skills and was
providing no support during the transition. In these cases, homelessness
is a predictable outcome.

California state law requires child
welfare agencies to develop, in conjunction with each youth in foster
care, an "emancipation plan" for what the young adult will do when
leaving foster care. But in practice, plans are often not made or are
unrealistic and unlikely to prevent a youth from becoming homeless,
Human Rights Watch said. Young people described to Human Rights Watch
emancipation plans that lacked arrangements for housing or the income to
afford it.

Human Rights Watch called on California to provide
foster youth with a variety of options as they make the transition to
adulthood, like their peers in family homes enjoy. These could include
more time at home before moving out on their own, or somewhere to stay
for certain periods, such as during college vacations.

The state
should also maintain a spectrum of other options for housing,
mentoring, and support for former foster youth, including transitional
housing programs, mental health services, services for those with
learning disabilities, and services for pregnant and parenting youth,
Human Rights Watch said.

"The science of adolescent development
shows that childhood does not end abruptly at a certain age," Calvin
said. "In most US families, young people continue to receive a spectrum
of support - emotional and financial - as they make the transition to
adulthood, and the youth in California's care deserve no less. "



Selected
Testimony

The day I graduated from high school my foster mom
told me, "You've been emancipated. You can't live here anymore." My
social worker showed up - I was still in my little graduation dress and
heels, my flowers, my cap on. My social worker had never talked with me.
[She just] told me, "I've called around and found a shelter for you.
You have a bed for four months."

- Karen D., age 21, San
Francisco.

On the day of my so-called emancipation, I didn't
have a high school diploma, a place to live, a job, nothing...The day I
emancipated - it was a happy day for me. But I didn't know what was in
store. Now that I'm on the streets, I honestly feel I would have been
better off in an abusive home with a father who beat me; at least he
would have taught me how to get a job and pay the bills.

-
Roberta E., age 24, Los Angeles

"I wish I could have had ...
someone to care about me ... like show me how to separate the whites
from the darks [for laundry.] I would have hated it at the time, but I
wish I'd had that. They never even asked me, ‘Is something wrong? Talk
to me."

- Nikki B., age 18, Sacramento

"If you're going
to put kids in group homes, in foster care - at least give them what
they need to survive and take care of themselves. [When I aged out of
care] I was expected to know how to get a job, buy a car, all that
stuff, but ... I didn't have any idea how to go about doing things. So, I
ended up on the street."

- Tony D., age 20, Berkeley

Los Angeles County's child welfare system has failed to complete
investigations into child abuse hotline tips involving more than 18,000
children within the time mandated by the state, according to county
records.Because of the backlog, state regulators recently
extended L.A. County's deadline for completing investigations from 30
days to 60, but Department of Children and Family Services officials
have been unable to meet the new timeline as well. Some 3,700 cases —
many involving multiple children — have been open two months or longer
without determining whether abuse or neglect is taking place in the
home. The delays — which might leave children in dangerous situations
until social workers complete their work — are the result of too few
staff burdened with a litany of new tasks intended to reduce the deaths
of children whose families already had come under the department's
scrutiny. "The social worker staff simply cannot keep up with
everything we are asking them to do," department Director Trish Ploehn
said. "All of the things that equate with quality do take time."
John Tanner, executive director of Service Employees International Union
Local 721, which represents the social workers, said, "The emergency
response system is at a breaking point. We have to reinvent it to best
help social workers ensure child safety." The crisis began last
year after The Times reported that more
than a dozen children had died of abuse or neglect in each of the
two previous years after coming to the attention of the department.
Internal investigations subsequently determined that most of those cases
involved errors
by the department that probably contributed to the fatalities, and
that the errors were concentrated in the unit that handles emergency
response. Department officials responded by ordering more
interviews, additional managerial oversight and other duties intended to
improve the thoroughness of investigations. But the work proved
to be too much for the county's 596 emergency response unit workers — up
only 80 from a year ago. They are charged with investigating about
160,000 tips that arrive each year through the child abuse hotline.
Since July, about 7.5% of the cases opened based on those tips remained
unresolved after 60 days or more. A recent internal study also
found systemic flaws in the unit's investigations.

LOS ANGELES -- A KTLA analysis of the Megan's Law database finds
clusters of sex offenders living in some Southern California
neighborhoods, while others have virtually none.
When we conducted our research last month, we found one zip code in
Wilmington -- 90744 -- with more registered sex offenders living in it
than any other in the region.
One block of Flint Avenue in Wilmington was home to 94 registered sex
offenders.
Most have done time for victimizing kids. They live in run-down
apartments. Thirty
of them in this one building, The Harbor Inn, where
the manager, who told us his name was Joseph, makes no apologies.
"They have to have somewhere to stay," he told us. "They are human
beings."
Flint Avenue is an industrial area near the port and a refinery. It's
not close to homes, schools, or parks.
Still, if you took a wrong turn and ended up here, there's no sign to
warn you this is a neighborhood full of sexual predators.
What we found here is typical.
Our research on the Megan's Law database found that the
90744 zip code Wilmington has the most, with 202, followed by a zip code
in Lancaster with 157,
137 in a part of Long Beach.... and 118 in a section of Compton.
Sex criminals tend to live in poorer parts of town.
You'll find none in zip codes in Encino, San Marino, Pacific Palisades,
and Newport Beach... and only one in Beverly Hills.
Orange County Assistant District Attorney Todd Spitzer says sex
offenders are generally unemployable, and tend to live on public
assistance. He says they can only afford cheap housing.
The law says they're not supposed to live within 2,000 feet of a school.
But we found plenty that do.
In Maywood, just across the street from Loma Vista Elementary, there's a
duplex that's home to
a convicted child molester.
He wasn't around when we knocked.
Some prosecutors think California needs to get tougher on sex offenders
by keeping them in prison longer, monitoring them with GPS for life, or
forcing them to live farther away from people.
Assistant District Attorney Spitzer thinks confining sex offenders to
the high desert might be a good plan.
"I don't think it's a laughable idea," he told KTLA.
But back on Flint Ave. in Wilmington, there's a different attitude.
Joseph, the manager of an apartment building that houses 30 sex
offenders, told KTLA, "People have to open their hearts and forgive."
KTLA has created an interactive map showing all of our research on where
sex offenders live in L.A. County.
You can find it at www.ktla.com/sexoffenders.

SAN DIEGO—The San Diego
County Board of Supervisors has voted to establish an e-mail warning
system to alert residents about registered sex offenders living in their
neighborhoods. Supervisor Bill Horn proposed the warning system
Tuesday in the wake of sex offender John Albert Gardner III's admission
that he raped and murdered two teenage girls. The supervisors
have voted unanimously to ask staff members to develop a cost estimate
for a system that allows residents to sign up for the e-mail alerts.
The system would give residents the updated information about
sex offenders that police departments have. The state
attorney general posts such information for the public but Horn said the
information is often outdated.

The father of slain Escondido teenager Amber Dubois recognizes that
legislation he plans to unveil Tuesday could receive a hostile reception
in some Capitol corners.

Nevertheless, Moe Dubois is convinced that requiring convicted sex
offenders to always carry a distinctive driver’s license or state-issued
identification card will help police and businesses better protect
children from predators.
“Do I think it’s going to pass through smoothly? No,” Dubois said in a
telephone interview.

If it stalls, Dubois vows to bypass lawmakers by appealing directly to voters.
“I have a feeling it will get stopped in one of the committees. Then
we’ll pursue it via an initiative,” he said. “There are many more people
who want protection for their children from predators.”

Assemblymen Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, and Pedro Nava,D-Santa Barbara, have signed on to jointly carry the driver’s
license measure as part of a four-bill package aimed at sex offenders.

Those proposals are designed to help law enforcement authorities more
quickly respond when children are taken, including the formation of a
state rapid response team of experts to assist local authorities responding to abductions.

Amber, 14, disappeared while on her way to school on Feb. 13, 2009.
Her body was not found until a year later. John Albert Gardner III, 31, a
convicted sex offender who had been released from parole supervision,
earlier this month pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Amber and
17-year-old Chelsea King,17, of Poway. He is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Chelsea’s parents, Kelly and Brent King, have been active in the
campaign to pass “Chelsea’s Law” that increases penalties for violent
sexual crimes. Assembly Bill 1844 goes before the Assembly Appropriations Committee Friday.

Dubois and supporters plan to release his proposals Tuesday because
May 25 is National Missing Children’s Day, first proclaimed by President Reagan in 1983.

Under Assembly Bill 589, all registered sex offenders would be issued
special driver’s licenses that would identify them as such. If they do
not drive, they must obtain a state-issued identification card, also
with a distinctive mark.

The licenses or identification cards would have to be carried “at all
times, outside of his or her place of residence,” the bill states.

Supporters say that will help police quickly identify sex offenders
and scrutinize circumstances such as a child as a passenger or a toy in the back seat.

“The second they walk up to a vehicle they should know who they’re dealing with,” Dubois said.

Also, businesses could voluntarily require identification at events
catering to children to ensure that sex offenders are not scouting for
their next victim, supporters say.

Nava and Cook agreed with Dubois that the measure will face stiff
resistance from civil libertarians and others who argue that tighter
restrictions will not necessarily make the streets safer. Opposition has
yet to emerge, given the newness of the proposals. Cost estimates have
not been prepared. Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, a frequent critic of crime crackdowns, said
he had not seen the legislation.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Cook, adding law enforcement
authorities he has talked to welcome the license. “They really like it.
It gives them a chance to react quickly. It could make a big difference.”

Said Nava, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Legislature objects
to the reasonable approach. Then the citizens of this state will take
it upon themselves to get the results.”

Some states are ahead of California. Delaware,
for example includes the letter “Y” on sex offender licenses. In Louisiana,
it’s “SEX OFFENDER” in all-capital orange letters.

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, said his organization has not taken a position on
marking driver’s licenses.

“We haven’t analyzed the effect ... We’d have to know a lot more
about how it would help,” he said in a telephone interview.

But Allen is enthusiastic about other proposals to speed up responses.

“Time is the enemy in searching for a missing child,” Allen said.

Less controversial, but far from a guaranteed signature by the
governor, are three other measures:

— Assembly Bill 1022 would establish within the Department of Justice
the “California Missing Children Rapid Response Team” that would be
available to help local police when children disappear. The team would
also assist local officials with protocols, programs and technologies
related to abductions.

— Assembly Bill 34 would require the state to file within two hours
information about a reported missing child under the age of 16 to the
Violent Crime Information Center and the National Crime Information Center. The current requirement is
four hours.

— Assembly Bill 33 would require the Commission on Peace Officer
Standards and Training to develop specialized guidelines and courses for
law enforcement related to investigating missing children cases. That
measure also seeks to make it easier for law enforcement to target sex
offenders who live within five miles of the scene of a crime.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who supports Chelsea’s Law, has not
reviewed the new measures and does not have a position, said a spokeswoman.

Dubois has come up with a new proposal, which is much earlier in the
formative stages. He wants to prevent impact statements from being
released before victim families get to read them in court at sentencing.
Dubois’ statement was released before Gardner was sentenced on May 14.

“I truly felt victimized,” Dubois said. “I want a law so that doesn’t happen to a victim’s family again.”

Redding CA ---- Mercy Medical Center/ Redding (MMCR) has received
two grants from the Kids’ Plates program, which is administered by the
California Department of Public Health. The intent of the grants is to
prevent unintentional childhood injury by providing children with
bicycle and multi-sport safety helmets; as well as provide parents with
child passenger safety seats. MMCR received 60 helmets and 54 child
passenger safety seats to be distributed through its Emergency
Department (ED).
As the area’s designated trauma center, MMCR’s ED cares for more than
700 patients a year who seek services due to unintentional injuries.
Now, thanks to the Kids’ Plates program, if an unintentional injury
involves a child passenger safety seat or helmet, Mercy can replace it.
“People might not realize that car seats and helmets are designed to
withstand the force of only one accident. Consequently, they must be
replaced and are not intended to be reused,” said MMCR’s Trauma
Coordinator Linda Henrich, who administers the program. “This grant will
enable MMCR to provide proper protection to children before they leave
the hospital.”
Kids’ Plates is funded with proceeds from sales of vehicle license
plates that feature a heart, a star, a hand or a plus sign. These
California vehicle specialty license plates generate funds for child
injury and abuse prevention, and childcare health and safety programs.
MMCR was one 20 organizations selected to receive funding during this
granting cycle and one of two organizations to receive grants for both
child passenger safety seats and bicycle/multi-sport helmets.
As part of the grant, Henrich received training on the proper
installation of car seats and proper fitting of bicycle helmets. “The
number of injured children due to improperly fitting helmets and car
seats is alarming,” she said. Before leaving the hospital, Henrich will
educate the parent(s) on the proper installation of car seats and ensure
a bicycle helmet fits correctly.
MMCR is collaborating with the Shasta County Injury Prevention
Coalition to conduct proper car seat safety checks throughout Shasta
County. Currently, limited appointments are available and can be
scheduled by contacting Henrich at 530-225-7242.
A limited number of bicycle helmets will also be distributed during
bicycle safety rodeos. The Lassen View Elementary School Bike Rodeo will
take place on May 26, 2010. The Whitmore Elementary School Bike Rodeo
is scheduled for the end of May.

The Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday rejected legislation
proposed by the father of murdered Escondido teenager Amber Dubois that
would have required a distinct identifier on driver’s licenses for
convicted sex offenders.

Senators expressed deep reservations over the bill, noting it would
brand even minor offenders and didn’t include penalties for
noncompliance.

Further, experts said there is scant evidence that public safety
would be greatly improved.

“They brought up some points that we have to recognize are valid. We
will have to rework it,” Moe Dubois conceded after testifying at the
hearing. ”We knew this would be a tough one.”

The bill was rejected on a 5-2 vote split along party lines, with Democrats
opposed. State Sen. Christine
Kehoe, D-San Diego,
voted against the measure.

Fourteen-year-old daughter Amber was raped and murdered in February
2009 by convicted child molester John Albert Gardner III. In April, he
pleaded guilty to the crime along with raping and murdering 17-year-old
Chelsea King of Poway this past February. He is serving two life
sentences without the possibility of parole.

Dubois, teaming up with a bipartisan pair of lawmakers, has proposed a
package of measures that he said would speed police response to
abductions and help recover children before they are harmed further.

Assembly Bill 589, driver’s license measure, was the most
controversial of the four bills.

“My only child was murdered by a sex offender, I have nothing I can
protect except the children of this state,” Dubois said, adding he wants
to bring the bill back next year.

The legislation also would have required a designation on
state-issued identification cards. Registered sex offenders would have
had to carry a license of identification card with them at all times
outside their homes.

Driver’s licenses with specific characteristics are not unique in California.
Drivers under 18 are issued a license with a blue stripe because of
certain limitations. Those under 21 are provided a license with a red
stripe to make it easier for merchants to spot minors trying to buy
liquor. There is also a large “donor” and pink dot on licenses of those
enrolled in an organ registry.

Supporters say that will help police quickly identify sex offenders
and assess clues as to whether the person poses a danger, such as having
a child as a passenger or simply a toy or clothing in the back seat,

A few states have imposed similar requirements. For example, Delaware
includes the letter “Y” on sex offender licenses. In Louisiana,
it’s “SEX OFFENDER” in capital orange letters.

But the California measure ran into stiff opposition from several
opponents noting that it would stigmatize many who pose no risk of
attacking again and prevent them from finding jobs or otherwise leading
law-abiding lives.

“The worst of the worst offenders will simply choose not to (have) a
driver’s license,” said Ignacio Hernandez, representing the California
Attorneys For Criminal Justice.

Hernandez pointed out that police could quickly identify sex
offenders given that law enforcement data bases already link to those on
active parole.

The Sex Offender Management Board, an advisory panel to the governor
and lawmakers, also refused to endorse the measure, saying there is no
evidence that such identification reduces recidivism.

Also, the Department
of Motor Vehicles expressed concern over mistakenly
issuing a branded license to an innocent driver. DMV officials also said
such a significant change could force them to reopen a new contract
with a private vendor to produce licenses and identification cards at
about 1.4 cents each.

Dubois is also lobbying for three other bills, all of which are
before the Senate Public Safety Committee June 22:

• Assembly Bill 1022 would establish within the Department of Justice
the “California Missing Children Rapid Response Team” to help local
police when children disappear. The team also would assist local
officials in developing abduction-related protocols, programs and
technologies.

• Assembly Bill 34 would require the state to file within two hours
information about a reported missing child under the age of 16 to the
Violent Crime Information Center and the National
Crime Information Center. Four hours is the current
maximum wait.

• Assembly Bill 33 would require the Commission on Peace Officer
Standards and Training to establish guidelines for law enforcement
related to investigating missing children cases. That would also make it
easier for law enforcement to target sex offenders who live within five
miles of the scene of a crime.

Meanwhile, “Chelsea’s law” faces a major test before the Senate
Public Safety Committee June 29.

Chelsea’s parents, Kelly and Brent King, have been active in the
campaign to pass the law named after their daughter.

Assembly Bill 1844 includes a one-strike penalty that eliminates any
chance of parole for those guilty of a forcible sex crime against a
minor under the age of 14 if the child is physically injured in other
ways.

The legislation also would impose stiffer penalties for other sex
crimes against those under 18 and bars predators from parks without
prior permission of authorities.

Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, who supports Chelsea’s Law, has not
reviewed the measures proposed by Moe Dubois and does not have a
position, said a spokeswoman.

Legislation proposed by the father of slain Escondido teenager Amber
Dubois to speed up and better coordinate responses to reports of
missing children unanimously sailed through the state Senate Public
Safety Committee Tuesday.

“This will bring the process ,,, into the 21st Century,” Moe Dubois
testified.

His daughter, 14-year-old Amber, was grabbed off the street, raped
and murdered by convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III in
February 2009. In April, he pleaded guilty to the crime and also to
killing 17-year-old Chelsea King
of Poway this past February. Gardner is serving two life
sentences without the possibility of parole.

Dubois is pushing Assembly Bill 34, which would require law
enforcement to report child abductions to national databases within two
hours instead of the current four hours.

One statistic that drove home the urgency: three out of every four
abducted children found dead were killed within the first three hours.

“The common denominator is the time — just how critical it is,”
said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley. Cook is carrying the
measures along with Assemblyman Pedro
Nava, D-Santa
Barbara.

Committee Chairman Mark Leno,
D-San
Francisco, urged passage. “We know that everything we
try to do doesn’t mean it’s fool proof, but that doesn’t mean we can’t
try to tighten the screws to save every child we can,” he said.

A second measure, Assembly Bill 1022, would create a specific
director’s position within the Department of Justice who would be in
charge of helping local agencies develop and maintain strategies and
technologies needed to bring abducted children home safely.

Supporters noted there are several state and federal agencies
involved in abducted children’s cases. “The problem is there has been
little coordination,” Nava said.

The unanimous vote advanced both measures to the Senate Budget and
Fiscal Review Committee.

Another bill backed by Dubois that would have identified sex
offenders on their driver’s licenses was rejected by the Senate
Transportation Committee last week. Opponents said there was little
evidence it would further protect children while doing considerable harm
to people mistakenly identified as offenders.

SACRAMENTO -- For the past two years,
Assembly Member Mike Villines has pushed for a new child abuse law named
after a Fresno boy -- only to see his legislation stopped by Democrats
worried about prison crowding.The bill's fortunes might change
this year.Assembly Bill 1280 -- which increases penalties for
child abuse that causes severe injury -- cleared a key hurdle last week
by passing the Senate Public Safety Committee. The legislation has never
made it this far."I am pleased that we will finally be moving
forward," said Villines, R-Clovis.The legislation, dubbed "Adam's
Law," is named for Fresno's Adam Carbajal, who as a 1-year-old in 2004
was severely abused by his mother's then-boyfriend, Ramon Curiel.


Adam Carbajal, shown in a photograph from March 2009,
was badly injured by his mother's boyfriend in 2004
and is the namesake for a new law.

Curiel was baby-sitting Carbajal and originally said the boy fell
while trying to walk. But authorities later determined that Carbajal was
shaken and hurled against a wall. He was initially given a 5% chance to
live."The day before, he was walking, crawling -- doing
everything a normal little boy does," his grandmother, Maria
Alvarez-Garcia, said at last week's hearing. "Twenty-four hours later,
he was on his death bed."Carbajal, now 7 years old, was for years
confined to a wheelchair, but now is able to move about with the aid of
a walker. Villines became personally involved in the case and in
2008 began pushing for a new penalty of 15 years to life in prison for
any person caring for a child younger than 8 who inflicts "great bodily
injury" that causes permanent brain injury or paralysis.But
Villines had trouble getting past the Democrats' policy of holding bills
that exacerbate prison crowding. In a compromise this year, the bill
was amended to require a lesser sentence of seven years to life in
prison, with the possibility of parole.That is still stiffer than
present guidelines, which call for up to six years in prison for child
abuse and 25 years to life for cases that result in death.In an
e-mail celebrating the bill's progress, Carbajal's supporters said:
"Basically, the only way a perpetrator will be able to get out is
through the parole board. We are very excited and are optimistic that
this year will be our lucky year!!" The bill is supported by the
California District Attorneys Association. Opponents say the state could
more wisely spend money on prevention."We can't stop this if we
are going to spend money on incarcerating people for extended periods of
time instead of making sure it doesn't happen," said David Warren, a
lobbyist for Taxpayers Improving Public Safety, an activist group
critical of the state prison system.AB 1280, which already has
passed the Assembly, still requires approval of the full Senate.

A state Senate bill that would seal the autopsy reports of murdered
children is making its way through the Legislature with the help of
testimony from the family of slain Tracy 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

A
Senate committee unanimously approved the bill Thursday, July 15, which
was introduced by Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth,
R-Murrieta. The bill would allow family members to request autopsy
reports and other evidence remain sealed if their child was murdered.

Angela
Chavez, Sandra’s aunt, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee
and said “No one wants to remember their loved ones in an autopsy
photo,” according to The Associated Press.

Sandra’s family has
fought to keep Sandra’s autopsy report and photos sealed, although the
prosecutor and lead detective on the case said the information in the
grand jury transcript has more disturbing details than the autopsy
report itself.

A judge released the grand jury transcript last
month, but decided to keep the autopsy photos sealed forever in fear
that bloggers and those on the “fringe of the media” would get their
hands on the photos and plaster them on the Internet.

The
ultimate decision to release the autopsy report is up to the San Joaquin
County Sheriff, and the judge in San Joaquin Superior Court temporarily
sealed the report last month and scheduled a hearing on the issue.

The
ongoing battle over Sandra’s autopsy report continues in court in
Stockton on July 23.

The death of a child, especially one taken by
criminal violence, is about as cruel an act as can be visited on the
surviving family and friends.
It is understandable that we would want to shelter them from
the pain, but in the end there is no real shelter save the support
of each other and the passage of time.
But now a California lawmaker
is proposing one of those do-something, do-anything acts that
government officials so often take when faced with circumstances where
in truth government has few real solutions.
He wants to allow family members to request
that the autopsy reports of murdered children and other evidence in such
cases be permanently sealed. The records also would not be subject to
disclosure under the California Public Records Act.
The proposal by Republican state Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth
of Murrieta was approved unanimously by a Senate committee Thursday.
The request comes as the family of Sandra Cantu fights to block release
of autopsy reports. The 8-year-old Tracy girl was murdered by
Melissa Huckaby, who is serving a life sentence without the
possibility of parole. Another hearing on the family's request is
scheduled for Friday in San Joaquin County Superior Court.
Investigative reports that the family also wanted kept private along with grand
jury transcripts already have been released. They give the often
heart-wrenching explicit details of the case.
Difficult as reading those reports can be, their release is important so the
public can understand the case, but most importantly so the public
can judge the actions of law enforcement and courts.
Without such public scrutiny, we can quickly lose confidence in how
justice is meted out. Public scrutiny also is a way to assure that
law enforcement and the courts operate within the
confines of our constitutional rights, especially rights that guarantee a fair trial.
There is another point here, though. Hollingsworth's legislation would make a
child's murder a special class of crime. What his proposal says is that the pain of the
family of a murdered child is so much greater than that of others whose
family members have been killed that they deserve special treatment.
We can't help but question the validity of what that implies. Is the family of a father murdered
during a convenience store robbery in any less pain than a murdered child's family? Is the
family of a college student killed by a repeat drunken driver in any less pain? What about the family
of the victim of a serial killer?
Hollingsworth's proposal fails at the most basic level because it cannot protect surviving
families from pain. No law can. What it does do is remove part of the transparency vital to
maintaining public confidence in our system of government.


Poster's Note: Bravo to "The Record" and Recordnet.com for this fine editorial on what the downsides of this law would be. BBM

San Andreas, CA...In the last year, a Turlock teen whose baby was
found dead in a dumpster was sentenced to eight years in prison for
felony child abuse. A 15-year old Lathrop girl secretly delivered her
baby who was found in the garbage. Parents who commit these acts are
often under severe emotional distress. The mothers may hide their
pregnancies, have nowhere to turn for help, and abandon their infants.
Abandoning a baby puts the child in extreme danger. It is also illegal.
Too often, it results in the baby’s death. Because of the Safely
Surrendered Baby Law, this tragedy doesn’t have to happen in California
again....





Two new signs, in English and Spanish, have been placed outside the
Emergency Room entrance to Mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital. It is one
of three designated Safe Surrender sites in Calaveras County. This
month, a Lodi mother brought her newborn baby to Lodi Memorial Hospital.
She decided she simply couldn’t afford to keep her baby. The baby will
be placed in protective custody and placed for adoption.

California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows a parent or anyone
authorized by a parent to confidentially surrender an infant, within 72
hours of birth, to a worker at any hospital or designated fire station
rather than abandoning them in an unsafe location. The law guarantees
anonymity and freedom from prosecution if there are no signs of abuse or
neglect.

Prevent Child Abuse Council Calaveras and prevention partners are
working to increase knowledge of the law to protect infants. Calaveras
County Sheriff Dennis Downum stated, “The law provides a safe place for a
newborn when a parent feels he or she is unable to cope with the
responsibility. Law enforcement personnel support it as a means to
reduce child abuse and neglect.” There have been no babies abandoned in
Calaveras County, but Dave Baugher, Fire Chief of Ebbetts Pass Fire
District, has ensured that firefighters and personnel at designated
fires stations are prepared if a baby is received.

24 Hour Safe Surrender Sites in Calaveras County
Mark Twain Saint Joseph’s Hospital-Emergency Room
768 Mountain Ranch Road
San Andreas, CA 95249
(209) 754-3521

Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District Station One
1037 Blagen Road
Arnold, CA 95223
(209) 795-1646

Central Calaveras Fire & Rescue Protection District
19927 Jesus Maria Road
Mountain Ranch, CA 95246
(209) 754-4330

Few political issues are as difficult to tackle as laws dealing with California's ever-growing number of convicted sex offenders.
For years, experts on the issue have complained that state laws were
determined more by sound-bite politics than policies that improve public
safety and protect children. Elected leaders, wary of accusations that
they were being soft on sexual predators, have historically stayed clear
of reforming such laws, except to make them harsher.
But this week, Sacramento lawmakers will take up a measure that has
been greatly revised since its introduction earlier this year to include
provisions such as ongoing treatment for sex offenders and sentences
tailored to the severity of a crime.
Backers say the changes to AB1844 would focus the state's limited resources on the worst child molesters
and will make great strides toward fixing how California deals with
people found guilty of sex crimes - even if, at first glance, some of
its provisions appear to ease restrictions for some convicted criminals.
Perhaps just as unusual - the revised bill is the result of a rare
bipartisan collaboration.
The proposal is called Chelsea's Law, after a San Diego teen killed by a registered sex offender
in February. Like many legislative responses to horrific crimes against
children, it began as a punitive measure that would have increased the
sentences and parole terms given to child molesters.
The changes made last month include tailoring those sentencing and
parole requirements to specific crimes, instead of taking a
one-size-fits-all approach. It would match treatment approaches to
ongoing assessments of offenders, and it would use polygraph tests for
parolees.
The measure still doesn't tackle what many experts consider one of
the biggest failures of current sex offender law: restrictions on how
close convicted sex offenders can live to places like parks and schools.
That restriction has forced thousands of parolees into homelessness,
which critics say actually hurts public safety because the offenders
become harder to track.
However, the newly proposed changes do conform with many of the other
recommendations that the state's own experts - the California Sex
Offender Management Board - have made for years.
"The bill, as introduced, was trying to get at some solutions to
pretty complex problems, and as it went through the process it got
better and better," said Robert Coombs, a victim's rights advocate who
chairs the board. The bill still includes harsher sentences for violent
sex crimes against children, lifetime sentences for the most horrific
offenses and lifetime parole for others - "tough on crime" approaches
that are easy to sell to both lawmakers and voters.

New approach
"There are still some elements of just straight-up
sentencing enhancements there, but for the most part it is stepping away
from a just over-generalized approach and starting to take a look at
what we know works instead of what we feel works," Coombs said.
The deal worked out between Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher of San Diego and San Francisco
Democratic Sen. Mark Leno, chairman of the public safety committee,
represents a marked departure from past efforts to tighten those laws.
In 2006, for example, Republican sponsors of a bill known as Jessica's Law went straight to the ballot after the measure was killed in the Assembly Public Safety committee, which Leno then chaired.
That measure included the restriction on convicted sex offenders
living within 2,000 feet of schools or parks. Leno was vilified for his
opposition, but as an April Chronicle story noted, the residency rules
in Jessica's Law are now under attack by an increasing number of state
officials, law enforcement experts and some victims' advocates for
forcing sex offenders into homelessness.
That problem is particularly acute in dense, urban areas such as San
Francisco, where 84 percent of paroled sex offenders are transient.
Studies have shown there is no connection between where a person
lives and whether they will commit another crime, and that instability -
such as homelessness - can actually make a sex offender more likely to
re-offend. Other states - including Iowa and Georgia - have recently
scaled back or eliminated similar residency restrictions. As part of
their agreement, Fletcher pledged to revisit the residency issue with
Leno next year. He hasn't promised to support a potential bill or ballot
measure, "but I am committed to working with him, because there's a
fair conversation to be had about what's in the best interest of public
safety," Fletcher said.

Funding Chelsea's Law
For Leno, one of the biggest issues was reining in the cost of longer parole and prison sentences.
In order to offset the anticipated increase in inmates, Fletcher
agreed to raise the prison threshold for those convicted of an unrelated
crime: repeat offenders that commit petty theft. The change means more thieves will stay in county jails instead of state prison.
Even with that change, it's not entirely clear what Chelsea's Law
will cost; an updated analysis is expected to be released within the
next week. The original bill was estimated to increase state costs by
tens to hundreds of millions of dollars over the next two decades.
However, both Leno and Fletcher argue that portions of Chelsea's Law
could ultimately save the state money while better protecting children.
That's because the state will be required to closely monitor a parolee's
risk of re-offending, and to tailor treatment based on those risks -
likely resulting in fewer victims, less recidivism and lower prison
costs.
This containment model has been proved to work in other states, they said.
Chelsea's Law is not without some opposition: Defense attorneys and
the ACLU have concerns about the longer prison sentences and the lack of
treatment when offenders are in prison. Coombs also said it remains to
be seen how well state officials implement the bill. But, he added,
Chelsea's Law is a step in the right direction after Jessica's Law,
which he considers a failure.
"We're left to pick up the pieces after someone introduces an
initiative that is not well thought out, doesn't address a well-realized
problem and is based more on bumper sticker politics," he said. "This
is probably one of the bigger steps."

A state lawmaker who wants to
put certain child molesters in prison for life after a first offense is
trying to reduce the cost of his bill. Republican Assemblyman
Nathan Fletcher of San Diego has offered several amendments to the
legislation, some of which would save money elsewhere in state
corrections spending. One includes allowing many people convicted of
petty theft to serve their time in county jails, rather than being sent
to prison. Fletcher says the state needs to focus on putting people in prison who pose a real threat to rape and murder. The
bill, Chelsea's Law, is named after Chelsea King, a 17-year-old who was
murdered this year in San Diego County. AB1844 is to be considered by
the Senate Appropriations Committee this week.

State lawmakers have sent the governor legislation that would create
self-defense and safety-awareness programs for school districts.

However, the Schwarzenegger administration has signaled the bill may be met with a veto.

The measure is one of several bills stemming from the murders of north San Diego County teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

Other measures sent to the governor are aimed at improving the response time to reports of abducted children.

Meanwhile, the centerpiece measure known as Chelsea’s Law, a sweeping
array of penalties and monitoring changes for sex offenders, is
expected to be taken up in the Assembly on Monday.

Convicted child molester John Albert Gardner III pleaded guilty to
raping and murdering 17-year-old Chelsea of Poway in February and
14-year-old Amber of Escondido in 2009. He is serving two life sentences
without the possibility of parole.

“It’s going to be a good feeling, and we haven’t had a good feeling
for a long while,” said Moe Dubois, Amber’s father, anticipating the day
the response-time bills he sponsored become law.

Earlier this week, lawmakers sent to the governor legislation carried by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, designed to provide guidelines for school districts to develop self-defense and safety-awareness programs.

Nathan Fletcher of San Diego, who is carrying Chelsea’s Law, was the only Assembly Republican to support Kehoe’s bill.

Kehoe’s Senate Bill 1290 would apply to grades 7-12. It would require
the state Board of Education to develop course requirements the next
time it revamps curriculum standards. However, school districts could
opt out of the programs.

“We don’t expect this training will prevent every incidence of violence, but it may avoid some,” Kehoe said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position, but a veto could
loom. His top education adviser has sent a letter of opposition because
it is “overly prescriptive.” His department of finance also opposes the
bill.

On Friday, the Assembly unanimously approved measures sponsored by Moe Dubois in cooperation with Assemblymen Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, and Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley.

Assembly Bill 34 requires the state to report an abduction to a
national tracking system within two hours, instead of the current four
hours.

“When a child is being taken from you a mile a minute, every minute counts,” Dubois said.

Assembly Bill 33 requires better law enforcement coordination to improve abduction response times, training and procedures.

And Assembly Bill 1022 creates the position of “director of missing children operations” to oversee programs.

Scheduled for a Monday vote, Chelsea’s Law establishes longer prison
sentences for violent predators, extended monitoring of paroled sex
offenders on parole and better assessment and treatment programs.

Legislation that would ramp up penalties for sex crimes, dubbed
"Chelsea's Law" for a 17-year-old high school senior who was murdered
earlier this year, won final approval in the Legislature Monday.

Assembly Bill 1844 by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, is the latest in a strong of measures named after the victims of sensational crimes.

John Albert Gardner, a convicted sex offender, has pleaded guilty to killing Poway High School senior Chelsea King and also a 14-year-old Escondido girl, Amber DuBois, and faces life sentences. Both were abducted while jogging or walking near their homes.

Fletcher's measure, sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
on a 70-0 vote, increases penalties for a wide variety of sex crimes
and includes life imprisonment without parole for some sex crimes
against minors and lifetime parole supervision for habitual sex
criminals.

"This is something we can all be proud of," Fletcher told the Assembly prior to the vote.

Fletcher's office released a statement from King's parents, Brent and
Kelly King, after the vote: "Oh behalf of Chelsea, and the 100,000
people who have given us the momentum to complete this process, we offer
a symbolic sunflower ovation to all California Assembly members and
Senators who voted in favor of Chelsea's Law. This is a uniquely
collaborative achievement, powered by people who care passionately about
the children of California."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday named for slain Poway High School senior Chelsea King that he said will better protect California's children.
The governor put his signature to Assembly Bill 1844, known as "Chelsea's Law," during a ceremony at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
"Because of Chelsea, everyone has joined together to solve this serious problem in our state," Schwarzenegger said. "Because of Chelsea, California's children will be safer. Because of Chelsea, this never has to happen again."
The bill, authored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, requires a life sentence without the possibility of parole for forcible sex acts against minors. It also tightens sex offense parole guidelines and requires lifelong tracking of certain sex offenders.
Fletcher said Chelsea's Law -- which goes into effect immediately -- puts California at the forefront in dealing with violent sex offenders.
"We are about to see signed into law a sweeping piece of legislation that will better protect our children, who are the most vulnerable, the most innocent, the most precious," Fletcher said. "Today is a very good day for them."
The legislation creates a "true one-strike life without the possibility of parole charge" for violent sex offenders who prey on children, he said.
"Because, if you don't believe you can rehabilitate someone that violently sex offends a child, you should not let them out, and today California will adopt this," he said.
Fletcher thanked members of the state Senate and Assembly, who unanimously approved the legislation.
Schwarzenegger and Fletcher were joined at the ceremony by Chelsea's parents.
Brent King said Chelsea's Law will fix California's "broken system" and ensure that the "worst of the worst violent child predators" are locked up for life.
Both thanked legislators and the governor for quickly passing Chelsea's Law.
"Our children look to us for guidance and understanding of how our world should be," Kelly King said. "In supporting and passing Chelsea's Law, you have shown them what is good and right and sound decision-making in government."
Also taking part in the bill signing ceremony were San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta.
Chelsea was raped and killed Feb. 25 by registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, who grabbed her while she was jogging at a Rancho Bernardo park. Searchers found the 17-year-old student's body a few days later in a shallow grave on the shore of Lake Hodges.
Gardner, 31, was sentenced in May to two life terms without parole for murdering and sexually assaulting Chelsea and abducting, raping and fatally stabbing 14-year-old Amber Dubois of Escondido a year earlier.
A package of bills promoted by Amber's father, and intended to improve law enforcement handling of missing person cases, also await the governor's signature.

Chelsea's Law makes me proud to be from, and living in California.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs “Dubois” bills


Amber Dubois, a 14-year-old was kidnapped from an Escondido street in February 2009, and Amber Dubois' body was found earlier this year. Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger signed the “Dubois” bill which outlines three basic measures to bring an abducted or kidnapped child home before he or she falls prey to horrific crimes like rape or child abuse. The three measures are: · Assembly Bill 34 requires the state to report abduction to a national tracking system within two hours, instead of the current four hours. · Assembly Bill 33 requires improved law enforcement coordination across jurisdictions to improve responses to abductions. · Assembly Bill 1022 creates a position of “director of missing children operations” to oversee programs aimed at reducing abductions. Amber Dubois’s father, Moe Dubois said, “We’re ecstatic, hopefully this will help.” Moe Dubois was the one who supported this legislation to be passed in the memory of his daughter Amber Dubois so that in the future, appropriate measures are taken. He also said, “When a child is being taken from you a mile a minute, every minute counts.”

Autopsy reports on slain children can be sealed from the media under one of 102 bills approved Monday by Gov. Schwarzenegger that also included harsher penalties for anyone hurting a child younger than 8, a ban on selling electronic cigarettes to minors and longer license revocations for repeat drunk drivers.SB 5 by Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) allows autopsy reports to be sealed at the request of the victim’s parents and was in response to media requests for documents in the cases of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, two San Diego County teenagers raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender.Schwarzenegger also signed AB 1280 by Assemblyman Mike Villines (R-Clovis), which creates harsher penalties for anyone who causes physical harm to a child younger than 8 resulting in permanent injury or disability.Anyone convicted of three or more drunk-driving incidents in a 10-year period could have their license revoked for up to 10 years under AB 1601 by Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo). And the governor also signed a measure making it an infraction to sell or furnish electronic cigarettes to people younger than 18. SB 882 is by Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro).Schwarzenegger vetoed 37 bills Monday, including one that would have required fur-clothing manufacturers to attach conspicuous labels naming the kind of animal used for each garment. The governor said AB 1656 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) would increase costs for clothes makers, and the $1,000 fee for failing to include the label was too steep.

Audit: Los Angeles Dept. of Children and Family Services Covering Up Child Fatalities
September 13th, 2010

The sins of child protective agencies are many, and many have detailed them at length. I’ve tossed my hat in that ring on occasion. Mostly, CPS agencies tend to over-interfere in families. I recently ran a piece based on a blog in the New York Times written by attorney Chris Gottlieb. She’s an attorney whose largely thankless job it is to try to defend parents targeted by CPS. Most of her clients are poor, and they find themselves criticized for infractions as bizarre as feeding the child Chinese take-out and allowing it to play in a sprinkler.

What Gottlieb didn’t mention was the fact that CPS agencies across the country have the habit of pretending that fathers don’t exist. When they take a child from maternal care, it often goes straight into foster care, Do Not Pass GO, Do Not Contact the Dad. The Urban Institute did a study in 2006 and learned that, in some 80% of cases in which a child was taken from a mother, CPS knew the identity of the father, but failed to make any effort to ascertain his fitness as a placement for the child in over half of those cases.

Both of those examples - the intrusiveness into legitimate parental decision-making and the preference for foster care over father care - are indemic in CPS agencies nationwide. Indeed, in Texas at least, it’s gotten so bad that a judge recently issued a restraining order against the agency in one particularly egregious case.

But this article is a new one to me (Los Angeles Times, 8/31/10). It seems that the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services has been covering up child deaths that are known or suspected to have resulted from abuse or neglect. That’s the conclusion of a recent audit of the agency completed by the county’s Office of Independent Review on August 30th.

Beginning on January 1, 2008, the State of California required child protective agencies to make public the circumstances of children’s deaths from abuse or neglect, the better to understand and, if necessary, alter the behavior of CPS agencies and caseworkers. Of course the new law only requires publishing information about deaths from abuse or neglect, not about other fatalities to children. That distinction opened the door to the DCFS to “interpret” certain fatalities as not resulting from abuse or neglect in one context and as resulting from abuse or neglect in another.

The audit is clear that the statute seeks to “promote public scrutiny” of abuse or neglect resulting in death, and therefore of the actions of the DCFS. That in turn “might cause criticism of the child protective agency to occur. Accordingly, there may be… incentives for child protective service officials to adopt a narrow… view” of whether a fatality resulted from abuse or neglect.

That’s bureaucratese for “if the public finds out how DCFS screwed up, it’ll be critical, so DCFS hides the information.” As County Superviser Zev Yaroslavsky put it,

“The board has been misled, but more importantly the public has been misled and that is really inexcusable,” Yaroslavsky said. “There is only one possible motivation here, other than the right hand not doing what the left hand is doing, and that is an intent to withhold information from the public.”

Meanwhile, the police seem to like public scrutiny even less than does the DCFS. In the first year in which the new law was in effect, law enforcement agencies provided full information in almost every one of the cases, but since then, “the stream of information about SB 39 child deaths… has been largely shut down.”
CPS agencies are given a difficult job to perform. Caseworkers are often overworked and underpaid, but are tasked with deciding which children are at risk of injury or neglect and which are not. They invariably tread a fine line between over-intrusion into private family lives and too little intrusion that can result in child abuse or neglect. Into the bargain, many of the families they deal with are poor and so caseworkers are required to figure out if particular parenting behavior stems from neglect or simply a lack of resources. The correct call in those cases is not always clear, I’m sure. Finally, the CPS system has a built-in bias that encourages caseworkers to over-interfere. Taking a child from a parent generates few headlines; a child injured or killed generates many.

Mindful of that, SB 39 seeks to shine a light on the doings of LA County’s DCFS. As in most bureaucracies, that’s ruffled some feathers, but that’s a good thing. The people of Los Angeles have a right to know what their employees are up to, especially when mistakes are made. And that’s never more true than when children are the victims of those mistakes.

VISALIA — Powerful, heart-wrenching and at times, hard to watch — that is what The Lisa Project — a multi-media program that allows visitors to experience the life of abuse from a child’s perspective, is.“Everything you thought you knew about child abuse is about to change,” the self-guided audio tells people going through the exhibit.“I’m going to tell you of a world that is foreign to you, but very familiar to me,” the presentation begins as Lisa, the narrator, shares her story and the story of other abused children.The unique mobile project, designed to raise the community’s awareness of child abuse, is presented by the Tulare County Child Abuse Prevention Council through the month of October.Through audio narration, and told through a child’s perspective, visitors are guided from room to room with scenarios depicting abuse. The PG-13 exhibit is not meant to shock visitors but is intended to educate the community about the very real threat to children, said marketing chair Patricia Pullen of Synchrony of Visalia, a nonprofit mental health agency that also provides parent education.“This is an incredible way to educate the community about the different forms of child abuse,” Pullen said. “Abuse is not just physical, but can be emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect — which is the No. 1 aspect in Tulare County. Neglect in Tulare County is most prominent.”During the 25-minute tour, visitors are guided through several rooms and hear the stories of five children — Lisa, Evan, Michael, Maria and Ashley.The stories began with the playing of a 9-1-1 call from 6-year-old Lisa, who is crying and asking for help. Her step-father is hitting her mother, who is bleeding. Her sister, 4, lays listless and the girl pleads for help to stop her step-father from taking her newborn baby brother.Lisa then guides listeners through several rooms — each one focusing on a different child and what that child lives through — mental abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and physical abuse.
In Michael’s case, the fifth-grader is portrayed as being emotionally abused by his mother as she repeatedly tells him he is useless and that she wishes she had aborted him.And so the stories continue. Maria’s story deals with sexual abuse by her father. Ashley’s story is about physical abuse. And Evan’s story is about neglect. Along the way, the children’s abused, neglected and frightened faces are shown.The rooms range from a filthy kitchen where Evan sleeps on the floor and cries himself to sleep from hunger every night because his drug-addicted mother does not take care of him, to Ashley’s room filled with beautiful things — a vanity filled with perfumes and makeup, an iPod, a cell phone, beautiful gowns, shopping bags from Macy’s and designer purses. Photos on the wall show a beautiful Ashley, wearing her cheerleader outfit, riding a horse, and vacationing in Hawaii. But there is an unseen story — and Ashley shares it. She is physically abused, by her father, and her boyfriend.“The truth is, I’d do anything to get out of this house,” Ashley says on the audio presentation.The stories and statistics are not made up.“This is real,” it says on the walls of the statistics’ room. “In 2009, more than 9,000 calls were made to child welfare services alleging abuse.”As visitors enter the statistics room, they can take a few minutes to read some of the devastating figures about child abuse, said Billie Shawl, president of the Tulare County Child Abuse Prevention Council.“Our goal is to get as many people as we can to see this,” Shawl said. “But we also give people a chance to have a positive response. We have it hopeful.”Abuse is suffered by children of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds and from all cultures.“It’s everyone’s responsibility to do something,” Pullen said. “We all can do something to protect them. We can volunteer at school, read a book to a child, and watch at a grocery store. And if you see someone having a hard time, don’t judge. Go up to them and ask the parent if you can help. You’re not there criticizing. You’re there offering a solution.”Before visitors leave the exhibit, they are asked to take a few minutes to share their thoughts and reflect on what they have just experienced. Counselors are also on hand to answer questions and talk to visitors if the exhibit triggers unpleasant childhood memories.
With 198 volunteers from 20 different agencies, organizers want people to know that resources exist and can help families and children who are suffering, Shawl said.The Lisa Project was created by Lindy Turner-Hardin, executive director of the San Joaquin County Child Abuse Prevention Council, with help from her husband, Gene Hardin.
After visiting a King Tut exhibit in San Francisco, where the couple followed an audio-visual tour of Tut’s life, Gene Hardin thought of the idea of creating a tour that showcased the lives of abused children.The original exhibit was created in a building in Stockton, but because of its success, the Child Abuse Prevention Council decided to rebuild the project as a mobile exhibit that can make stops through the state, and someday, through the country. The Visalia visit will run through the month of October.Visitors are encouraged to go beyond the headlines and the statistics and visit the exhibit to experience the life of an abused child.The Lisa Project is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays from Oct. 1 to 29.
The mobile unit is located at 200 S. Court St. in Visalia. For more information, call 735-0456.Because of the nature of the exhibit, children younger than 13, are not allowed to listen to the audio track.

Child deaths rise among those monitored by L.A. County family services, records show

October 18, 2010 | 3:33pm EDT

The number of children dying of abuse or neglect after involvement by Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services has steadily increased since 2008, according to confidential documents reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.The data represent the first time the public has gained access to the department’s year-over-year maltreatment fatality trends. According to information circulated recently among senior county officials, the number of children who have died of abuse or neglect by their caregivers rose from 18 in 2008 to 26 in 2009. This year, the county had recorded 21 maltreatment fatalities in the year's first eight months.

“Something has gone terribly, terribly haywire in the oversight of these children,” said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, responding to the figures. The majority of the maltreatment fatalities occurred while DCFS was actively overseeing the child’s welfare or just days or months after social workers closed the case for the child, the records show.

The maltreatment fatalities, which were recently revised under the supervision of the county’s Office of Independent Review but have yet to be released in response to public inquiries, are part of a larger group of fatalities tracked by the department. According to those confidential figures, also reviewed by The Times, the total number of children who died of any cause after DCFS contact rose from 97 in 2004 to 163 in 2009. The rise was driven largely by a sustained increase in homicides, from 19 in 2004 to 55 in 2009. The department’s bookkeeping of records for fatalities before 2008, however, has been flawed. For instance, the department’s records last month reflected the total number of fatalities for 2003 as being 91. This month, the department’s records said the 2003 fatality figure was 146 and was subject to further revision.

Yaroslavsky questioned whether the department’s drive to reduce the number of children removed from their families and placed in foster care has led the county to leave too many children in unsafe conditions.The number of foster children has dropped from 52,000 in 1997 to 18,800 this year. During this period, the department has focused on increased drug treatment, parental training and other services meant to allow children to remain safely with their own parents.


The drive has been motivated by the belief that a child’s welfare is best served by his or own family, even when that family is somewhat troubled. But the reduction of foster children is also a budgetary imperative. Under an experimental federal and state program known as the Title IV-E waiver, Los Angeles County agreed to accept a fixed sum for foster care. If it exceeds that amount, the county must pay the difference. If it spends less, the county can use the savings to reduce child abuse and neglect as it sees fit.

Yaroslavsky said he agreed with the precept that children belong with their own families whenever possible, but he said he worried that the department has been so single-minded in its drive to reduce the number of foster children that social workers have been blinded to the dangers parents sometimes pose.“The facts need to dictate how DCFS handles these marginalized children.

Evidence can’t be ignored because there is a orthodoxy that says kids need to be kept with their families,” Yaroslavsky said.

The numbers contrast sharply with the DCFS’s earlier statements about child deaths. This summer, director Trish Ploehn released statistics to the L.A. County Commission for Children and Families showing that the number of maltreatment fatalities was decreasing. Ploehn had also told The Times in an interview she believed the numbers were going down. She declined requests to comment for this article.

In a statement released Monday, Ploehn said: "Due to the fluid nature of these determinations and the large number of cases to be processed, the release of these files has taken longer than we had hoped -- and the public has consequently had to wait longer than we would have liked. We are implementing processes so that, moving forward, we are able to release information to the public, when requested under [the state’s disclosure law], in prescribed time frames.”

Calif. county restricts sex offenders on Halloween

VISALIA, Calif. --
A California county has passed a law barring people convicted of sex crimes against children from decorating their homes and handing out candy to kids on Halloween.

The Porterville Recorder reports that the Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday in favor of the new ordinance despite objections it could violate state law and the U.S. Constitution.

Supervisors say the law will keep children safe while trick or treating.

But Public Defender Michael Sheltzer says there is no evidence that children are more vulnerable to sex offenders on Halloween.

He says the new regulations are legally questionable under the state's Jessica's Law and also restrict the rights of sex offenders under the First Amendment.
___

The California Highway Patrol
is urging residents to sign up for a service that sends Amber Alerts to
cellphones via text message – one more way residents can help
authorities find missing children fast.
The
service, which is free regardless of a person's wireless plan, sends
alerts tailored to specific area based on a provided ZIP code. Up to
five ZIP codes can be added, and authorities recommend that people at
least add the ZIP codes where they live and work.
Residents can sign up by visiting www.wirelessamberalerts.org. Alerts can also be sent in Spanish.


Want another way to get news about abducted children? Yeah, there's an app for that. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
has created an application for iPhones that offers a real-time feed of
active Amber Alerts, with information about the suspect and the
incident.
The application also allows a user to view a list of missing children compiled by the NCMEC and organized by states. If a user has information about a case, they can use the application to directly call NCMEC's
hotline or send a report that includes the user's current GPS
coordinates and their phone number, in case more details are needed.
According to NCMEC
officials, applications for other smartphones are in the works. In the
meantime, a similar application is available for Droid users, though it
has no connection to NCMEC.
Still another way to stay informed and potentially help find missing children is Facebook. "Like" the "California Amber Alert" page to get alerts that way, too.
An Amber Alert is an activation of the Emergency Alert System by a law enforcement agency searching for an abducted child.
Four
criteria must be met before an Amber Alert is issued: There must be
confirmation that the child was abducted, as opposed to being missing;
the victim must be 17 years old or younger, or have a proven mental or
physical disability; there must be reason to believe the victim is in
imminent danger of injury or death; and there must be information that,
if given to the public, could help lead to the child's discovery, such
as a vehicle or suspect description.
Since the Amber Alert program began in California
in 2002, 184 alerts have been issued about 223 abducted children. Of
those, 218 children have been recovered, and 106 suspects have been
arrested, according to the CHP.


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/05/3818535/sign-up-for-amber-alerts-on-cellphone.html#ixzz1UG7NIrRO