Center for Judicial Excellence

Justice. Accountability. Integrity.

  • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • CJE Staff
  • Donate
  • Contact CJE
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Initiatives
    • Advocacy
      • Media Advocacy
      • Policy & Legislation
      • Prior Legislative Victories
    • Educating Oversight Agencies
    • U.S. Divorce Child Murder Data
    • Marin Court Misconduct
  • Resources
    • Family Court Crisis Background
    • Domestic Violence & Child Abuse Resources
    • Pro Bono Services, Self-Help Centers & Court Information
  • Multimedia
    • Kids of Divorce Speak Out
    • CJE in the News
      • PRINT
      • TV & RADIO
      • Press Releases
    • The Director’s Corner
    • Multimedia Projects
      • Film
      • Photo Exhibit
      • Slideshow
    • Photo Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Forums & Events
    • Santa Monica Weekend
    • People’s Choice Award!
    • 10 Year Anniversary Campaign
  • Take Action!
    • Join CJE
  • Membership
  • News
  • Blog
You are here: Home / News / CJE in Child Welfare Monitor ∼ Maryland Child Custody Committee Recommends Specialized Judges for Custody Cases Involving Child Abuse or Domestic Violence

CJE in Child Welfare Monitor ∼ Maryland Child Custody Committee Recommends Specialized Judges for Custody Cases Involving Child Abuse or Domestic Violence

October 14, 2020

Hera McLeod did everything she could to protect her baby son from a father who she said had attempted to suffocate her when she was pregnant, raped her 19 year-old sister and was a suspect in killings of his mother and the mother of his other child. But it was not enough The judge in her custody case accepted her ex-husband’s favorable evaluation by a school counselor who was not certified to evaluate adults. In contrast, he did not accept a police report regarding the father’s abuse of another child in Virginia in the absence of the arresting officer. On his fifth unsupervised visit, paramedics responding to a 911 call found 15-month-old Prince naked, wet and not breathing at Rams’ home. Joaquin Rams is serving a life sentence for drowning his son.

Prince’s case is not unique. Around the country there has been a growing awareness that family courts are failing to protect children in custody cases where there is domestic violence or child abuse. Parents who attempt to protect their children from abusive ex-partners (often known as “protective parents”) are labeled as alienators or “high conflict” and often penalized and their warnings disregarded, as discussed in an earlier post by Child Welfare Monitor. The results can be tragic. The Center for Judicial Excellence has documented 758 children murdered by a divorcing or separating parent since 2008. We have no idea how many children are ordered into some type of unsupervised contact with an abusive parent: this number was estimated at 58,000 in 2008. While murder is an extreme result of bad custody decisions, the devastating results on surviving children of being left with an abuser are incalculable.

Continue reading here.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Print

Filed Under: News

Family Law Documentary Trailer

Recent News

Family Court Judge Threatened a Mother With Contempt of Court for Getting Her Child a COVID-19 Test

December 18, 2020

Ohio juvenile court Judge Timothy Grendell thought … [Read More...]

Florida Blames Mothers When Men Batter Them – Then Takes Away Their Children

December 16, 2020

Mothers victimized by violent men told child … [Read More...]

Childhood Trauma Impacts Millions of Americans, and it’s Having Devastating Consequences

December 14, 2020

Childhood trauma impacts millions of Americans, … [Read More...]

Far From Home | Far From Safe

December 11, 2020

California sent thousands of vulnerable children … [Read More...]

More news

News Archive

Contact Us

P.O. Box 150793
San Rafael, California 94915
Phone: 415-444-6556
Email:
info@centerforjudicialexcellence.org

Find Us on Facebook

Follow CJE on Twitter

My Tweets

Email List Signup

CJE DOES NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE. We want to hear your story, however, please be advised, if you choose to share information with us, we can not guarantee your privacy.
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; CJE and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the appropriate jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances whether the information contained herein applies to your particular situation.

 

Copyright © 2021 Center for Judicial Excellence. All Rights Reserved.

Log in