I am Senator Nancy Jacobs' Chief of Staff, Suzanne Collins. Lets start with anonymity. If you want to criticize give your name or your motive becomes suspect. As a reporter for nearly 30 years in Maryland prior to this position, I ran into several cases in which a "Caylee's Law" could apply. Even in Anne Arundel County in recent years a man buried his dead son who died of illness and told no one. When the remains were found it became a huge homicide investigation until the details were uncovered. Certanly someone who kills a child and buries or disposes of the body, causing the evidence to decay, should be punished by law. Yet there is no such statute in Maryland. A child's death should be reported promptly. We are also investigating to see if requiring the dissapearance of a child in a set amount of time should be included in the bill. There have been 22 constituents who wrote Senator Jacobs in the first two days after the Anthony verdict asking that someone in Maryland not be able to get away with a "Casey Anthony" type case, going a month without reporting a dead child. There are more e-mails today. Other states are introducing similar bills including Florida, where people saw first hand why it's needed. Finally Senator Jacobs confered with a State's Attorney first to be sure it would be worthy to put on the books. The process in Annapolis allows for debate, input, voting and ammendments to prevent the state code from being filled with unnecessary laws.
Suzanne Collins
17 comments:
sen. jacobs, this is a great bill for our state. go for it.
"If you want to criticize give your name or your motive becomes suspect."
That is no way to make friends with the readers of SBYNews...
Amen 3:57
Can't people state their opinion on a blog without the entire community knowing who they are.
Suzanne Collins' comment is as well thought out as this proposed feel good legislation-Caylee's Law.
I take offense to the statement "If you want to criticize give your name or your motive becomes suspect."
I would never sign my name to any comment I would ever make in relating to this case especially one that isn't popular with this aggressive, hysterical out of control mob of people who disagree with the verdict.
This is all a big waste of time.
I guess everyone thinks such legislation would have criminalized the behaviour of Casey Anthony.
Laws are aready on the books for such behaviour. The Orange County States' Attorney's Office choose to not charge Anthony with such.
Child neglect catagories include; abandonment which means a parent has failed to maintain contact with a child.
5:17. your a dumb character!
NCANDS defines neglect as “a type of maltreatment that refers to the failure by the caregiver to provide needed, age-appropriate care although financially able to do so or offered financial or other means to do so” (USDHHS, 2007). Neglect is usually typified by an ongoing pattern of inadequate care and is readily observed by individuals in close contact with the child. Physicians, nurses, day care personnel, relatives and neighbors are frequently the ones to suspect and report neglect in infants, toddlers and preschoolaged children. Once children are in school, school personnel often notice indicators of child neglect such as poor hygiene, poor weight gain, inadequate medical care or frequent absences from school.
Types of Neglect
Physical neglect
Educational neglect
Psychological neglect
Medical neglect.
So where does it say a parent has failed to maintain contact with a child? LOL.
Ms. Collins:
Do you have nothing better to do than to come onto our blog and criticize us with your comments? Perhaps yourself and your boss should attend to the state of our Nation before you become the ex-chief of staff for the former Sen. Jacobs. I agree that there needs to be a law on the books to cover this sort of action. I also agree that this nation is on a drastic downward spiral which if continues, our laws will not matter anyhow!
Here it is 5:54-LOL
FL Statute
Abandonment
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 39.01
Abandoned or abandonment occurs when the parent or legal custodian of a child or, in the absence of a parent or legal custodian, the caregiver, while being able, makes no provision for the child's support and has failed to establish or maintain a substantial and positive relationship with the child.
For purposes of this subsection, establish or maintain a substantial and positive relationship includes, but is not limited to, FREQUENT AND REGULAR CONTACT WITH THE CHILD through frequent and regular visitation or frequent and regular communication to or with the child, and the exercise of parental rights and responsibilities. Marginal efforts and incidental or token visits or communications are not sufficient to establish or maintain a substantial and positive relationship with a child.
The term does not include a surrendered newborn infant as described in § 383.50, a child in need of services or a family in need of services as defined in chapter 984. The incarceration of a parent, legal custodian, or caregiver responsible for a child's welfare may support a finding of abandonment.
554, What does NCANDS have to do with individual state statutes concerning child abuse and neglect laws, which BTW are based on minimum standards set by Federal law?
I didn't even know what NCANDS stood for until I looked it up.
It stands for National Child Abuse and Neglect Date Center. NCANDS doesn't set standards, they do not write legislation. They collect data.
The state of our state, 629. Senator Jacobs is a MD State Senator. In all else I agree with you!
"Anonymous said...
5:17. your a dumb character!"
You have alot of nerve calling someone "a dumb character."
It's either you are or you're not your.
Omg? Are you serious? Big brother wants our names so he can track us down and punish us for speaking up against him?
My name is Fred.
OH yeah, let's create a law because of one person's actions.
How many mother's go a month without reporting a child missing? 1 (one)
Would this law have benefitted Caylee Anthony? Only in someone's dreams.
"Other states are introducing similar bills including Florida, where people saw first hand why it is needed."
Under current law in FL it is a misdemeanor for failing to report your child missing. For reasons unknown the prosecution never charged Anthony with this. She could also have been charged under the broad obstuction of justice laws.
We don't need new laws but proper charging of the ones we already have.
5:54 before criticizing you should educate yourself! There is such a thing as child abandonment laws, even here in MD. Even if a household has a minor that is accused of abusing other children in the home, the parent MUST find a safe venue for the accused child to reside if juvenile services does not take the child into custody. If the parent does not do so, they can and will be charged with child abandonment although they are attempting to keep the victim children safe from further harm. Personally I feel it is a catch 22 because what if there are no others that will take the minor because they are a threat to children, yet juvenile services refuses to take the minor into custody and the minor cannot by law stay in the same home with said victims? The problem with laws is they are cookie cutters and the average family does not fit the shape. However without intricate and detailed wording there are people that will find a loophole to abuse the very laws that are put in place to protect.
This law ought to be renamed "I'm Ticked Off At The Verdict Law."
I find it insulting to this child's memory that some want to name such a ridiculous law after her.
Here's a idea-Why doesn't Sen Jacobs come up with a bill banning all knee jerk, reactionary proposal of bills?
"Even in Anne Arundel County in recent years a man buried his dead son who died of illness and told no one. When the remains were found it became a huge homicide investigation until the details were uncovered."
I suspect Ms Collins is referring to the Marshall case? If so her reference is a bit misleading but realizing this happened over 10 years ago that is understandable.
The man's child (daughter BTW) was reported missing by an out of state relative 8 months after failing to return home from a visit with her father in MD.
The father was located and immediately led authorities to the remains. He also gave a detailed account surrounding the death of the child, took a polygraph and passed.
This was never a "hugh" homicide investigation unless you were a member of the local media at the time trying to make it into one.
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