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JERRY VERLINGER

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Why 'Caylee's Law' Is A Bad Idea

Seeded on Sat Jul 16, 2011 12:56 PM EDT
Read ArticleArticle Source: The Huffington Post
us-news, crime, florida, murder, death-penalty, casey-anthony, criminal-justice, crime-news, caylees-law, michelle-crowder
Seeded by Jerry Verlinger
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Within minutes of the Casey Anthony verdict, much of America devolved into the mass media equivalent of a mob bearing torches and pitchforks. Twitter lit up with calls for vigilante justice, and proposals that we revoke the Fifth Amendment's protection against double jeopardy (or at least that we revoke it for Casey Anthony). Nancy Grace nearly spit fire, proclaiming, "The devil is dancing tonight." Conservative syndicated columnist Ben Shapiro wants to change the jury system entirely.

Laws named after crime victims and dead people are usually a bad idea. They play more to emotion than reason. But they're disturbingly predictable, especially when they come after the death of a child. So it's really no surprise that activist Michelle Crowder is now pushing "Caylee's Law," a proposed federal bill that would charge parents with a felony if they fail to report a missing child within 24 hours, or if they fail to report the death of a child within an hour.

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  • Public Discussion (9)
Jerry Verlinger

If you read the article, it's easy to see why this law would be a bad idea.

    Reply#1 - Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:01 PM EDT
    PowerIsKnowledge

    So it's really no surprise that activist Michelle Crowder is now pushing "Caylee's Law," a proposed federal bill that would charge parents with a felony if they fail to report a missing child within 24 hours, or if they fail to report the death of a child within an hour.

    This makes absolute no sense. (1) What if a child is visiting relatives and the parents haven't been contacted. Should the parents be jailed? (2) What if the child dies in his/her sleep shortly after being put to bed and the parents don't learn about the death until the next morning. Should the parents be jailed?

    Suggestions by people who don't possess commonsense should be taken with a grain of salt.

    • 3 votes
    #1.1 - Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:38 PM EDT
    Merewen

    I don't know. I mean I can understand the need for such a law as evidenced by what happened with Casey Anthony. 30 whole days had passed before she reported her child missing. 30 days in which a search would have had more impact in the instance of foul play. Common sense tells most people to report a child missing RIGHT AWAY, but then you have people that are trying to hide something... you get the gist.

    I'm not trying to be argumentative but....

    (1) What if a child is visiting relatives and the parents haven't been contacted.

    How would a parent not know their child is with relatives? And if relatives take someone else's child without permission then they've got a problem. Relation or not.

    I'm torn on the 24hr period. The reality is you can't always count on humans to do the right thing.

    • 3 votes
    #1.2 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:05 AM EDT
    PowerIsKnowledge

    (1) What if a child is visiting relatives and the parents haven't been contacted.

    When my children were young, they spent the entire summer, every summer, with their grandparents who lived in another state. While they were with their grandparents, I would go on vacation. If I was not in the vicinity of a cell tower, the grandparents couldn't reach me; therefore, they haven't contacted me even though they tried. Should I be held accountable for not notifying the police that something happened to one or both of my kids if I didn't get the message until days later, and no, I didn't call the grandparents everyday to check on my kids because the grandparents were responsible people and I could rely on them and trust them to take care of my kids.

    This is what I meant by commonsense. Many people don't have the ability to see more than one solution to the problem.

    • 2 votes
    #1.3 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:02 AM EDT
    Reply
    Jerseygirl1978

    The idea of Caylee's Law is a good one.......if you don't report a child missing within 24 hours or if you don't report a child's death within an hour, you are breaking the law. However, things are not that black and white and certain situations may arise that change the scenario and then you would be in violation. I'm not sure if this law can be executed correctly, without problems.

    • 3 votes
    Reply#2 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:55 PM EDT
    weRdoomed

    I think the law needs tweaking, but there should certainly be something that requires guardians to report a child missing...just need to be careful and specific on the time periods (e.g. reporting death within an hour may be unreasonable and need clarification).

    • 3 votes
    #2.1 - Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:35 AM EDT
    Jerry Verlinger

    I don't think we need any more unnecessary laws on the books.

    It's common sense that someone who is concerned they will report a missing child asap. If a parent or guardian fails to do so, it's likely because they have harmed or abducted the child, in which they're certainly not going to be motivated to to notify the police.

      #2.2 - Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:03 PM EDT
      Jerry Verlinger

      Jerseygirl,

      You said; "The idea of Caylee's Law is a good one......"

      Then you said; "I'm not sure if this law can be executed correctly, without problems."

      Which means the law is not a good one.

        #2.3 - Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:05 PM EDT
        weRdoomed

        It's common sense that someone who is concerned they will report a missing child asap. If a parent or guardian fails to do so, it's likely because they have harmed or abducted the child, in which they're certainly not going to be motivated to to notify the police.

        Ummm...then why isn't Casey Anthony in jail?

        • 1 vote
        #2.4 - Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:58 PM EDT
        Reply
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