I was in the hall outside the primary felony courtroom on the day probation violations are being heard. I can see a man in an orange suit standing in front of the judge. He's pretty obviously getting tagged hard.
There's a maybe 4 year old kid in the hall who is fussing and making noise. The mother is trying to quiet the kid and looking exasperated. Finally, she almost yells at the kid "You know what the judge is doing to your father because of how you're acting?"
Every time I think I've seen how low humanity can descend someone comes along and proves me wrong. How do you do that to a kid?
3 comments:
wow - lord knows where this will take that kids head - he might spend the next five years thinking his dad is in jail cause he was cranky in the courthouse - folk try to pass the buck of responsibility , but passing it to a kid?
It always amazes me that people bring children to court. I think they believe that the Judge will show some sympathy and couldn't possibly lock them up if the kids are there...
I did see a Judge lock up a mother and order social services called to collect the kids, many years ago.
Another inappropriate place is jail. In my opinion thechild is better off having no relationship with an incarcerated parent than to be exposed to the sights, sounds, smells and germs in a jail. Let the child have a fantasy or memory of mommy or daddy that is perhaps happier.
I have a very different view here. I think, let the kids see how the system works. Let the judge know he's locking up a father/mother, and that that child will have to cope with this for however long. I don't think that kids should be 'used' to bleed sympathy (never known of it to work anyway), but people should be able to do what they must with their eyes open. there's already way to many ways to gloss over uncomfortable truths about our system without our adding to it.
Afterall, if you're not afraid to lock a kid's father away for years and you know what that will mean for the kid, why not look at the kid when you do it?
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