do you feel that the policies and and laws that have been enacted for child abuse have served their purpose?
149363
Yes. And they need to be pared down now. The Child Protective Services in my state make an awful mess of families with no real proof of any reason. They do the children more damage than good by ripping them from famlilies with no explanation, keeping them apart from their families and basically terrorizing everyone. Babies included. I have seen many families destroyed. My son's is one of them. And there seems to be no way to deal with them beyond letting them play thier God games and bowing low each time. Even saying "DHS" in relation to this situation lost one set of grandparents visitiation rights with the kids. This is way, way beyond the scope of their original job.
596841
I think these monsters lost ANY "civil liberties" they may have ever had when they chose to violate a child.  What about the childrens' civil liberties?\n\nI'm sorry, I have no sympathy for them whatsoever.  Furthermore, they're almost never rehabilitated.  They do it again and again and again.
856168
What an open ended question.....\n\nThe police in general are great but sadly i feel that they are let down continually by the system they are trying to serve and protect. \n\nI think these guys do a great job and I think it's time our government (yes YOU JOHN HOWARD) took notice of this and made changes to the system that continually lets our Police Force down.\n\nI have recently watched the police arrest two men for raping a 13 yr-old girl and they were so happy to finally be able to charge these men for such a hideous crime only to have these men go to court and both get 3 month suspended sentences. The police involved in this were very disappointed by this result.\n\nI have also watched the police try and protect our community from a mob of angry 13-14 yr olds and charge them several times only for these kids to get slap on the wrists for hate crimes, vandalism etc.\n\nYES the police do a great job BUT sadly they are let down by our government and its lack of policing their system and its guidelines!\n\nBravo to the police for doing such a great job under such difficult circumstances.
1117586
Every one who can take care of themselves, should. We need to define what "able" is. That is not done by a law, but by popular social convention. \n\nSo many folks have abdicated their responsibilities, to them selves, their children, their neighbors, and expect those same people to support them in a variety of ways.\n\nCommon sense and conventional wisdom has gone out the window in many ways. \n\nIf more individuals would think for themselves and do for themselves, (rich and  poor alike) we would have so many resources available for the truly needy, and infirm.
262522
You know, I'm glad you asked.\n\nI completely understand the drive behind this recent movement.  I have 3 kids under the age of 10.\n\nHowever, laws like this are only smoke screens to make legislatures feel useful.  They only provide a sense of safety that is not really there!  (Like the lifeboats on the Titanic.)\n\nIf the offender is 2001 feet from the park, are my kids safer?\n\nThe laws likely are unconstitutional and unreasonable.  If the offender has lived there 50 years, he has to move?  his wife and children can stay, but he can't?  \n\nWhere is the offender to go?  If he moves to "safe" zone somebody will just open a day care next door just to make him move.  And it becomes a never ending cycle.\n\nI border a state with such a law.  The offenders' options are dwindling.  My state is considering similar legislation just to keep the offenders from moving to a less restrictive state.\n\nWith laws such as these, many offenders will become nomadic and more difficult to track.  Then how safe will you feel?\n\nIf an offender is considered to be a risk, treat them.  Monitor them.  Even lock them back up.  \n\nJust don't make feel good laws that can only harm our children by giving us a very false sense of security.\n\nTeach your children.  Watch your children.
492546
I trust in the laws designed to protect me and my family..\n\n I distrust..the way our country spends money, war, Bush, medical companies, how somethings are overlooked...and the media
572368
No! It is the parents job to monitor these sorts of things to make sure there children are or arent using them. Its the parents reponsibility.
986063
Oh yeah, they exist. These "do gooders" feel the "poor" criminal had a bad childhood, they were never listened to, we can't put them away, it would be wrong and harmful for them, we must help them in any way we can, on and on it goes. These idiots - whoever they are - spew out more garbage in favor of the criminals while the victims are screwed over. It can be anyone, not just as they have said in the past, the bleeding heart liberals.\n\nEver hear this one. This families house is broke into. The criminals had guns, the family dog bites one on his leg, he ends up suing the family and he WON!!! \n\nThat's only one, there are so many, you would puke.\n\nIn Britain this little old lady had a toy gun, A TOY GUN mind you, she apparently scared these imbeciles who broke in her home and she got done for it. They told her she scared them and it was wrong!! \n\nYeah, but it's not wrong they broke in her home!!?? \n\nThe laws are not what they should be anymore.
757078
I believe that some one (well, specifically a newspaper journalist) has done some checking and found (from court records, one assumes) that child murder has stayed more or less constant (and very low) over the past 50 years or so. That statistic implies that children are as safe now as ever they were, but the public  _perception_,  due to a few high profile cases, and publicised heavily by the media,   is that every child is in danger from every adult male - which is a gross insult to 99.9 percent of men.  Such a view has resulted in a lost and bewildered child in a shopping mall being ignored by males in case they are accused of molestation; in fewer men going in for primary school teaching (hence male role models are reduced); and a fall off in men and (women for that matter)  taking leadership positions in youth organisations, from cadets to scouts, guides etc., for fear of being accused of misconduct.\nIt comes to something when an adult of the 'tribe' can not comfort a small member of the tribe who has, for example,  fallen over, or is  in distress for some reason.  I recall as small boy walking into a bus stop post,  badly cutting my head.  A man came over to help, put his handkerchief on my bleeding scalp, held my hand and walked me home.  My mother was so grateful that some one had cared enough to help her son.  Today, that man no doubt would have left me alone  in case he was viewed as a paedophile.   What a sorry state our society has entered.
721251
Not that i can really claim that i speak for God but one of the functions of having a set of laws could very well be to create a necesity for reconcilation. Until there are rules to be broken its hard to really know one is screwing things up isnt it?. Until people realize they are flawed and that they fall short it is a little bit more difficult to understand why exactly we need to change from the course we are on. Also its hard to realize that there may be something different (better?) out there for us. Its hard to understand that there is a God humanity may fall short of and thusly need in their lives without a set of Laws.
530574
I think it does.  But it also makes them pedophiles that need to be in jail.  That goes for anyone who molests any child.
1116279
My wish would be that all the deadbeat parents hiding all around the world would wake up one morning and realize exactly what they were doing to their children and start not only paying their child support but becoming actively and productively involved in their children's lives.  \n\nShort of that, I wish that the government would wake up and smell the coffee burning and realize that we need more caseworkers and more accountability within the Child Support Enforcement system especially here in Illinois where there average worker caseload is 405 versus the National Average of 263.
882916
I agree that, at school, children are not held to a standard of morality or a set of rules in harmony with morality.  They therefore find themselves confused concerning the proper behavior at school.  This is one of many government failures in the public "education" system.  Additionally, their methods for enforcing their "rules" are quite ineffective.  You are quite right on all these accounts.\n\nBased on personal experience, I disagree that violence and fear of the same is healthy for children or for their discipline, though force has a place when used against the same.  There exists only one rational response to violence, and that it violence.  In the words of Ayn Rand, the threat of violence inherently removes morality from the discussion.\n\nViolence creates serious pschological stress (leading to diseases and disorders of the mind), and it looses efficacy as the children grow up.  As children get bigger, they realize that they can resist violence with violence much more effectively, and they tend to want to perpetuate violence to others when their will is violated (as has been done to them).\n\nMy own experience with my two little girls reveals that children want to obey their authority figures without threat of violence when such brings them security, sovereignty (in which they have proven themselves), order, consistency, and rationality (predictability).  I can count the number of times that I have used violence (a gentle, firm "spanking") against my daughters, over the course of both of their lives, on one hand with fingers to spare.  Freedom and sovereignty (even privileges) are all much more effective tools for disciplining children.\n\nBTW, every child I have ever known was a mirror image of their parents.  You can learn more about a person by observing their children for a few moments than by being the parent's friend for a month.  Additionally, every out-of-control child I have seen had a dysfunctional family (either single parent or soon to be single parent, or out-of-wedlock birth).\n\nYes, government is causing disciplinary problems, but no, the root is not in the preclusion of violence.
1183278
In most cases...I totally agree. I do believe there are some crimes that don't fit in that catagory. \nIf someone molested my child and my husband went after that person and killed him....I do NOT believe that he should get the same. I believe that the justice system is so messed up its unbelievable.\n\nRight here...locally...a man shook his 4 month old baby boy (there was a twin sister)shook him so hard it killed him.....2 years later...he is sentenced to 5 years. Thats when I believe in your therory. That man should be put in general population and have it announced over the intercom system what he is in for.\n\nI believe any act of crime against a child should be a maximum penalty.....bar none.....why does this criminals rights get taken into consideration.....The child will suffer and remember what ever happened for the rest of their life.....if they are alive. And we worry about the rights of the criminal.....I have to wonder..if a judges child has ever been a victim....would it change their beliefs?\n\nOK..Sorry...this really hit home for me....very good question !!!
272514
Yes I do. When I acted up as a kid, I KNEW I could count on a spanking. Kept me in line, and it wasn't cruel at all. \n\nMore parents need to spank their kids. 'Time outs' just don't do it.
1177259
We can fund CPS a little better and give them more reign to do their jobs.  We can hold people accountable for their actions when it comes to their kids.  When someone is abusing a child either physically or mentally, that person needs to do about 10 years prison time or more.  We can quit sitting back and letting it happen.  Children deserve so much better in this country than what they are given.  Our focus as a people ought to be on how we can better children's lives and not our own.
1102475
I dont believe so. Back when I was a child, we got the belt for doing something wrong. As years passed child abuse became a big issue. Laws were enacted to protect children from abuse but in reality the real child abusers still exist! We have now created a generation of unruly, out of control children. Some of the atrocities such as Columbine, teen suicide, parents murdered by their children,  ETC are a direct reflection on this! I watch this show on television where people bring someone in to teach them how to raise their children. Makes me laugh!!! The "spare the rod, spoil the child" philosophy isnt working people!!! I am not saying you should beat your child but I DO know that when your 3 or 4 year old child has done something wrong the old "drop the drawers and givem one good swat on the bare butt" philosophy worked for me.  I think I have only used this method twice but I have never had a problem with my child not respecting me. From that point on my son and I have had excellent verbal communications. I have never layed laws down and when he had questions he wasnt afraid to ask. My son is now 29 years old, has never done drugs, and has accompished much in his life. I am VERY PROUD of him! I remember when came home from school one day and asked if he should smoke marijuana because his friends wanted him to. I told him it was his choice but he had two avenues to take. I told him he could either grow up to be a leader or a follower. I also told him to think about whether he thought this person was his true friend. My son made his own mind up on the matter and chose wisely.