A couple months ago, I began training to do volunteer work with CASA at the Center for Family Development in Shelbyville, Tennessee. It’s a program that works closely with the Department of Children’s Services in order to speak up in court for children who are victims of child abuse. Each volunteer, once finished with training, gets handed a case where a child or children have been victims of some form of child abuse. These children are already in state’s custody by the time volunteers get the case. Basically, the volunteer’s job is to show up to all court dates involving the particular case they’re handed, obtain any needed documents involving the case, interview relatives and others close to the child, do some detective work regarding the incident and how well the biological parents are working to get their child or children back, and spend time with the actual child or children at least once a month.
Ultimately, the goal of DCS and CASA is to provide the biological parents with the right services in order for them to better themselves to a point where they can be granted full custody of their child or children once again. Last resort is termination of parental rights. The volunteer’s job, once all the above have been accomplished, is to face the judge in court and tell him or her what they believe is in the child’s best interest. Of course, this does not mean the volunteer has the final say so in what happens to the child. This person just gets to put their two cents in.
Today, I read of a case that happened in my home town in Tennessee. I am not eligible to be an actual volunteer at this point since my training is not complete and on one side, I’m thankful for that. Reading this case, along with several others I’ve read about during my training, makes me sick. Regardless of whether or not I go into a case with an open mind and no pre-conceived notions, I’d say there would be part of me that would be going head first into a case such as this one with the idea that I’d like nothing more than to tell that judge to send her to death row in whatever state he had to and go on to beat the living hell out of the woman myself.
Patricia Wilhoite was arrested this week after her and her husband brought their 7-week old daughter to the hospital with what they called a “spider bite.” Upon examination, doctors found the little girl had two broken arms and two broken legs. Mrs. Wilhoite is currently behind bars on what I’ve been told is a $1.5 million dollar bond for aggravated child abuse charges with other possible charges being added. She is to appear in the Coffee County courtroom on Monday morning. One source says she lost custody of her 9 year old son when he was 5 months old.
All I can say is, if I were Judge Brock on Monday morning, I’d say rip her insides out and bury her alive. The more crap I hear about, the more I think my purpose in life is to become the best damn prosecutor I could become and on to judge after that. Forget crowded prisons and jails. What Constitutional rights do these losers deserve anyway? Cram them all in one cell for all I care and let them fight each other to death.
How could someone do something like that to a child and just sit back in a comfortable jail cell with air conditioning or heat, three meals a day, freedom to watch television or write and receive letters to the outside world, and hell even a pot to piss in. I don’t even think these types of individuals deserve a bucket, much less a toilet.
Your thoughts?
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