root@sigma.UUCP () (12/12/85)
I received enough queries from the former posting that I feel a general reply is called for. That posting was about a Child Protective Services (CPS) case worker in Washington State who falsified evidence and coached children to accuse their parents of abuse. Your questions should be referred to: Coalition of Concerned Citizens/S.O.F.T. 5312 9th Ave N.E. Seattle, WA 98105 S.O.F.T. stands for "Save Our Family Ties": individuals and groups concerned about legislation that relates to family life. The particular focus locally is on Washington State's demonstrated proclivity for destroying families that fall into its system. In one case recently where the father was accused of abusing his children (I believe he was subsequently found innocent), the State encouraged his wife to divorce him as a necessary precondition for returning their children home (to her)! This is a common practice here, a first step towards getting spouses to testify against each other. In another case (I know these people personally, this is not hearsay) the State persuaded a teenage girl to testify that her father sexually abused her (she was angry at the discipline he was imposing), resulting in a prison sentence for him! She now admits she lied, but CPS and the State Attorney General will not hear of it. It is part of their credo that a child always tells the truth first, even though he or she may recant later. Particularly nefarious is the fact that these cases are usually tried in _two_ courts at the same time. The first is a criminal court case which follows nearly normal legal procedures (innocent until proven guilty, jury trial, etc), except for the right to face your accusers. Because the courts in Washington buy into the credo mentioned above, they accept hearsay testimony ("The social worker says that your child once said .., therefore it is a fact."). The second is a Juvenile Court case which legally(?) violates a number of Constitutional rights (i.e. you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent, hearsay evidence is readily admitted, you do not get to have a jury trial, double jeopardy, etc.). Even if the case is won in criminal court it will continue in the other, typically for many months, sometimes years. Remember, while this is going on you do not get to see your children. The State places them in a foster home for which you will have to pay. Also remember that all this can be brought on by a phone call to CPS from a "friend", neighbor, your own child, or his teacher. In Washington State, teachers are required by law to report anything they think _might_ be a sign of abuse, under threat of being named an accomplice. There are also cases of teenagers who blackmail their parents (for the car keys, removal of curfew, money, etc.) with threats of calling CPS. CPS gets federal funding based on the size of their "body-counts", so it is in their best (monetary) interests to prosecute one and all. This emphasis is clearly shown by a recent letter to the Seattle Times (12/8/85): "Far more individuals who have assaulted children will escape the legal consequences of their actions than innocent adults caught in the system". (A Freudian slip?) This letter clearly shows their intent. They want convictions, and they do not care how many innocent families, how many innocent lives, they destroy. If you live in Washington, one of those lives could be yours.