Miscellaneous

In Loco Parentis

By Anne Skove, Esq.

Anyone who's lost a child knows that parents must find it in themselves to move in a positive direction in order to carry on. That move could involve telling their story to others who have suffered a similar loss, planting a tree in their child's memory, or hugging their family a few extra times every day.

For parents who have lost a child to violence, positive steps are extremely difficult. Holes in the criminal justice system, public attention, and fear exacerbate parents' grief. The Kenneys, whose daughter was killed last March by an offender who should never have been walking free, quickly and extraordinarily urged the community away from random violence and towards peace.

Now, the Kenneys are pleading for common sense in the criminal justice system. The Kenneys have taken what they know -- parenthood -- and applied the same lessons and guidelines to the system. Risk assessment, flexibility, firmness, and other parental skills are the same tools society can use when fighting crime.

We hope someone listens to them.

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on September 07, 2009 (boomark / email).