Sunday, November 9, 2008

Reader's Suggestions For DSHS Reform

One PRR reader has suggested that CPS not do both the investigating and the enforcement.

Pam: "Good idea. Most of us agree that the police do the investigations and the prosecutor's office does the charging. How would it be if they also did the judging (and without a jury)? There are other institutions that do the investigations, prosecutions and are the trier of fact. The Senate Ethics Committee and the WA State Judicial Conduct Commission proceed in that fashion."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Senator Roach,

I believe that law enforcement should do the investigations of child abuse. They have much more experience in this sort of thing than does a social worker.

I also believe that if the "Department" is going to take your children because of "Child Abuse" A person should get a trial by a jury. Especially at a termination of parental rights trial.

Even insurance company litigatigants in a lawsuit get a trial by jury.

And if they are found guilty..Lock them away. The standard of proof in these cases should be higher.

They offer little proof in the cases I have sat in on. Heresay and third party information seems to be the norm. The judges never seem to require the "Department" to produce or provide any real documentation to these purported allegations of child abuse.

Even insurance company litigatigants in a lawsuit get a jury.

Child abuse should be a crime..not a civil action. The rules separating criminal and civil actions is a wide margin.

CC Tillett

Anonymous said...

However, how many of those organizations conduct their investigations and prosecutions under a veil of secrecy?

Anonymous said...

It is impossible to make change as it stands. The re-elect of Gov.Gregior and Atty Gen. McKenna makes it that way. Have we not learned without change, history will repeat its self? The first step would be get rid of the "Good Old Boy" system. Replace it with people willing to step up and admit to the wrong doings of this system. The people willing to uphold our rights. The ones who are sickened by the "CYOA" that has been allowed, much less encouraged! Get your average joe, the one who sees what is happening but not listened to. Bring in the people who have left the system because it is so broken. The ones who truly believe change is needed. The ones willing to fight for that change and fight for accountability. Bring in the ones who have been raped by the system, they know first hand what change is needed. But nost importantly clean house. Prosecute the ones whose "Titles" have kept them untouchable. And above all protect the victims. And give hope to all the ones who have lost, so far, in their quest for fairness in our so-called Judicial system.

Paige Roberts said...

I agree with the part about the fair trial. We are sent to hearing after hearing and come out in the end with not being charged of any wrongdoing. I was, when asked what I was being charged with. Nothing.

Anonymous said...

I also agree that the police do the investigations, let the prosecutor do his job and let the jury make the decision of guilty or not. Our system is so broken and change is needed now more than ever. Patients escaping and missing from the mental hospitals, parents killing their kids and people who should be in jail are out killing our police officers and threatening to kill school children..what's not broke here? Nothing is going to change until we get the re-elected officials out of office that have made these problems worse and get some folks with new blood, new ideas and are not afraid to rock the political boat. We need change all right but not the change we are currently seeing.