As a former victim of domestic violence I have experienced a bias within the juvenile court system. The victims are often penalized and have there families destroyed and children removed from their loving homes. To worsen the matter victims are then placed on the Central Index , which is national, making it impossible to work with children.

Children ripped away from their homes are in my opinion, subjected to Radical Attachment Disorder as the bonds between siblings and other immediate family members are broken over the course of months or years making it much easier for them to be adopted out. Victims of domestic violence are ordered to go to classes and counseling that I feel are in conflict with the punishing nature of Sacramento CPS and The Juvenile Justice System. Classes where clients may be told that escaping a dangerous environment is one of the most dangerous times in the relationship, and the abuser uses the threat of reporting anonymously to child services to hold many women and children within their grasp. It

is also my opinion that on the flip side the courts issue a 300(b) Failure to Protect charge (which is a misdemeanor criminal charge) to victims and their families for being abused. My opinion based on experience is that the catch is that your never formally or informally indicted, and a preponderance of evidence, which is the lowest level of proof required in a civil (non-criminal lawsuit) is used to sustain the misdemeanor criminal charge .

I feel the real victims of abuse have their cases closed and children die from various forms of abuse that could have been prevented. This is not to condone abuse but I feel the system should vary its approach to individuals, and not expect lasting results from a textbook, threatening approach. In my opinion, They (The System), become the abusers by identifying families with familiar patterns of punishment and manipulation.

You get your, by then, excruciatingly damaged children back if you do this this and that by this time. I feel that the educational information provided to help the families heal cannot be absorbed due to the fear and anger mechanism in place. If the family is successful in reunifying, they appear to return to the system again even worse for wear, or suffer silently rather than be scrutinized again. This is from personal experience. I have no criminal record, no drug history, but a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and no children home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Ages 1, 4, and 6. When will this end................... the problem is not in Afghanistan......................