The Indiana Child Support Nazi's are Gearing Up to Get You

Oh oh, the Child Support Nazi's are gearing up. I have seen many problems of courts in Indiana NOT getting the support calculations right, and no matter what effort there is to make corrections, the courts are too lazy to get things right. So here you go, the CS Nazi's will be coming to getcha...

From The Star Press:

Our View: State is getting tough on deadbeat parents

Some deadbeat parents in Indiana could find themselves walking instead of riding under a program announced by Gov. Mitch Daniels -- for good reason.

Noncustodial parents who owe at least $25,000 and have not made payments in at least a year could have their state-issued licenses suspended. These include driver's licenses, as well as hunting and fishing licenses.

Daniels announced the program at the end of October, saying it would be first implemented in eight counties: Marion, Lake, Allen and St. Joseph -- the state's most populous -- and in Vanderburgh, Monroe, Tippecanoe and Kosciusko. About 4,000 delinquent parents meeting the criteria for suspension live in those counties. The rest of the state's 92 counties will follow soon.

"We don't want to take anybody's license," Daniels said, "but if you won't do your duty, then certain privileges the state confers ought not be yours until you start doing your duty."

There are built-in protections. The suspensions would not be automatic. The prosecutor's office in each county administers the process. There will be a series of notifications with a 60-day response period. Delinquent parents would not have to pay in full to avoid losing licenses and will be able to set up payment schedules.

The governor said the threshold for suspension will eventually be lowered from $25,000 to $3,000 and the length of time in arrears from a year to three months.

According to the Indiana Department of Child Services, more than 76,000 parents who owe $1.3 billion to their children meet the lower standard.

Indiana courts could previously suspend the licenses of non-paying parents, but the governor's proposal makes it an administrative action.

Indiana officials say they don't want to take anyone's license, but they believe drastic measures are necessary to get some people to meet their obligations. Those who still refuse to pay could go to jail.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter, who attended the news conference, said he viewed the failure to pay child support by parents with the means as child abuse.

Because the state is responsible for health care and other welfare payments for many of these children and their families, it has the responsibility to collect back child support for the benefit and well-being of these children and as a fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of Indiana who are footing the bill.

It's sad when it gets to the point it is necessary to threaten someone with something as important as the loss of a driver's license to get them to support their children. The fact that 76,000 Indiana parents owe $2,000 or more is proof the program is needed.

There are many good parents who find themselves in financial difficulty and are temporarily unable to pay their child support. This program is not directed at them. It is to get the attention of those who have the means but refuse to support their children. They deserve to lose their driver's license. They probably also deserve to go to jail for child abuse.

Woman in Minnesota Planned to Return to Indiana and Leave Her Troubled Marriage Behind

Submitted by Pat Minelli on November 14, 2008 - 9:34pm.
By Shannon Fiecke and Pat Minelli, Shakopee Valley News

Ruth Anne Maddox was only weeks away from being free from her troubled marriage and back in her home state of Indiana when she was found beaten to death in her Prior Lake home Wednesday last week.

The Shakopee Valley News reporter’s husband, Charles Anthony “Tony” Maddox Jr., has been charged in her death. On Friday, bail was set at $1 million in the 43-year-old man’s initial appearance in Scott County District Court. He remains in custody in the Scott County Jail. Maddox faces one count of second-degree murder with intent, but without premeditation. The Minnesota Regional Coroner’s Office, in its preliminary findings, concluded that Ruth Anne Maddox, 45, died of blunt-force head and neck injuries sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday.

Tony Maddox is alleged to have killed his wife in their townhouse and hid her body in the garage. Police, after three visits to the Maddox home and two conversations with her husband, who refused to allow them into the house, obtained a search warrant and entered the residence at 3:17 a.m. Wednesday. Tony Maddox faces a maximum 40 years in prison if convicted. A grand jury must be convened if the county attorney’s office decides to pursue a first-degree murder charge.

Bail has been set at $1 million, cash or bond. A bondsman who attended the hearing told a reporter afterward that a bail company would likely require $100,000 to be put up, but he doubted one would be willing to issue a bond.

The defendant allegedly told police he and his wife had a fight and she came at him with a screwdriver and a knife. He said he put his knee on the arm holding the knife and choked her. The couple was going through a divorce and Ruth Anne Maddox had
expressed concern for her safety on several occasions to friends.

She recently informed her supervisor that after the divorce was final, she planned to resign and return to her native Indiana to be closer to her daughter. According to court records, Ruth Anne Maddox’s 19-year-old daughter, Kelsey, told police she had recently received two text messages from Tony Maddox, saying he would never allow her mother to leave him.

Supervisors reported Ruth Anne Maddox missing Tuesday afternoon of last week after she failed to show up for work. A supervisor had received a text message from her phone that morning, saying she had a doctor's appointment and would let him know when she would be in. That was uncharacteristic, supervisors said, because Maddox would normally call, not send a text message. A male acquaintance in Indiana said he too received a text message from Ruth Anne Maddox's phone on Tuesday morning, also unusual, and the message said, "I'm not having a good morning."

According to the criminal complaint: A neighbor, Sabrina Norrbohm, told police both Maddox vehicles were parked in the driveway when she left for work Tuesday morning. Norrbohm last spoke with Maddox at about 11:30 p.m. Monday. She told police Maddox was home alone and that she had been at a Shakopee School Board meeting Monday night and had three stories to finish for the newspaper’s deadline Tuesday morning. Norrbohm said she was aware of past violence in the Maddox home, but police were never previously involved.

After Prior Lake police were alerted, officers went to the home about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday but there was no answer. They returned about 6:11 p.m. and were met at the door by Tony Maddox. He told officers, who noticed two scratches on his nose, that he didn’t know where his wife was. He said he received a text message from his wife saying she was headed out of town and wouldn’t be back until Sunday. The defendant would not allow police inside the home and spoke to them from the front steps. He refused to sign a missing-person report and said he wanted to see if her family members in Indiana called to report that she arrived there.

Tony Maddox also told police he was watching football at a friend’s house Monday evening. At 9:14 p.m. Tuesday, police visited the home again, and spoke
with Tony Maddox outside the home. It was windy and sleeting at that time, and officers asked if they could go inside the house. He refused. At 3:17 a.m. Wednesday, police entered with a search warrant.

Shortly after police entered the home, Tony Maddox told police without being questioned: “I might as well save you the trouble; you will find Ruth Anne’s body in the garage.” Police found her body wrapped in what appeared to be a tent,
covered by a blanket.

Maddox was last seen at a School Board meeting she was covering for the Valley News on Monday night. When she left the meeting, it was with a wave and a smile on her face, School Board Chair Kathy Busch told the newspaper. At a Veterans Day program the next morning, Cristina Oxtra, communications coordinator for the Shakopee School District, was excitedly waiting to show Maddox her military uniform and introduce her to friends. But no one could find Maddox.

A school administrator tried calling and only got voicemail. There was no response to e-mails Oxtra sent throughout the day, which was uncharacteristic for her, Oxtra said. It was also deadline day at the Valley News, and therefore highly
unusual for Maddox, known for her responsibility, not to show up. Co-workers grew more anxious about her whereabouts as the day progressed and went to the Prior Lake Police Department Tuesday afternoon after driving past the Maddox home, where her green Subura Outback was missing from the driveway.

Always friendly and humorous, Maddox had been especially chatty Monday evening. She and the assistant to the superintendent, Sarah Koehn, talked during much of the meeting, which ended about 9:20 p.m., and Maddox lingered longer than usual afterward, until about 9:45 p.m. The pair’s conversation Monday evening eventually moved to chit-chat, but it started off serious, with Maddox recounting the latest updates in her pending divorce and Koehn helping brainstorm to make sure all the bases were covered — financial, legal, personal, etc. “She seemed OK, like she was getting things taken care of,” Koehn said.

Koehn remembers the conversation ending with her offering to take Maddox’s dogs until she was permanently settled. Maddox had expressed concern that night about the pets, and Koehn now wonders to what extent she might also have been concerned for herself.

Maddox had been preparing in the previous few months to leave her husband. On Oct. 22, she filed for divorce in Scott County and asked for temporary possession of their home, stating in an affidavit she “cannot imagine living under the same roof with him while we wait for the case to be concluded.” Acknowledging that the townhome likely would be foreclosed upon because neither she nor her husband could afford to live there on their own after the divorce, she asked to continue staying there in the meantime without her husband, stating it “will prevent the likelihood of me being domestic[ly] abused by Charles. This is a real threat with which I am faced.”

In a divorce affidavit, Maddox expressed concern about how her husband would react to the breakup, based on an incident of abuse about a year prior when the possibility of divorce was discussed. She wrote, “Charles hit me and pulled me down the stairs” and “more recently he threw keys at me after he thought I was going to file for divorce. Charles is chemically dependent and I do fear Charles’ reaction to the fact I have now started this divorce case … ” A divorce hearing scheduled for Nov. 6 was postponed when the couple’s attorneys came to an agreement.

Ruth Anne Maddox had told co-workers her husband initially agreed to consent to all of her demands, not requiring a court battle, so long as she let him stay in the home a few weeks longer. Peter Horejsi, Ruth Anne Maddox’s attorney, didn’t respond to a call for comment. Last Thursday he told the Times-Union Newspaper in Indiana,
where Ruth Anne Maddox had worked for 16 years, he expected the divorce to become final that week and that Tony Maddox had agreed to be out of the home by the end of this month.

Maddox moved to Prior Lake from Warsaw, Ind., about five years ago after marrying Tony Maddox. The couple attended high school together in Hammond, Ind., and reconnected at a high school reunion. She got a job at the Savage Pacer newspaper, and just over a year ago started working for the Shakopee Valley News. Both papers are part of Southwest Newspapers, based in Shakopee.

The two had been married since May 2003. Ruth Anne is survived by a daughter, Kelsey, from a previous marriage, who lives in Indiana, and two sisters and a brother and her parents.

In court on Friday, Scott County Attorney's Office prosecutors requested $1 million bail, citing the domestic-abuse allegation and because they considered Tony Maddox a flight risk. The defendant’s attorney, Larry Rapoport, disputed allegations
of domestic abuse, saying no record of such abuse exists. “One million dollars [bail] is too exorbitant,” he told the judge. The next court hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 29 in Scott County District Court.

Tony Maddox spoke politely to the judge and was composed throughout the hearing, until after acknowledging his family members as he left the courtroom, at which time he began to cry. His family — there were five members at the hearing — declined comment. The victim’s family members, who were not at the hearing and held a funeral for Maddox in Indiana on Monday, were too shaken last week to comment.

Since 2003, nine people have been charged with murder in Scott County, according to the county attorney’s office. There were five victims among the cases. Three cases involved more than one defendant. The last homicide that occurred in Prior Lake was Jan. 27, 2002, when a man killed his wife and then committed suicide. Two other homicides occurred in Prior Lake in 1997. The first involved a man who killed another man on Feb. 8, 1997. The second was a man who killed a woman while the two were in a relationship on Dec. 30, 1997.

Shawn Hogendorf and Lori Carlson contributed to this report.

Story originally from Shakopee Valley News.

Parental Alienation Syndrome is Misused in Child Custody Cases involving Domestic Violence

From Womens Legal Resource:

November 14th, 2008


I first learned about PAS, Parental Alienation Syndrome during my divorce. I would hear lawyers argue this syndrome over and over again in custody battles. This syndrome hit a nerve, being four credits shy of a Bachelors Degree in Psychology, I never read anything about this syndrome in any of my studies. So, I went back to my psychology books to re-read information maybe I skipped and still, I found nothing about PAS. Then continuing on with research, I found the following information which shed much light about this mysterious syndrome which I will call the “Judicial Syndrome”:


The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP), Stop Family Violence, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, four of the nation’s leading domestic violence victim advocacy organizations, call on the media and the courts to rectify the misunderstanding and misuse of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) in custody cases.


“Child custody cases are among the toughest cases courts have to handle. And in custody cases where domestic violence is involved, the judges have an even higher responsibility to ensure that the safety of family members is not dangerously impaired by misleading - and legally unjustifiable - ‘parental alienation syndrome’ theories,” said Sue Else, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.


“Parental Alienation Syndrome” is a claim that has been used to suggest that some parents try to undermine their children’s relationship with the other parent, typically the noncustodial parent, by making false statements about that other parent, most often in the form of abuse allegations. In fact, actor Alec Baldwin made that claim about his own child custody case in a recent interview with Diane Sawyer.


“PAS is being used by some abusers as a tactic to demonize parents’ attempts to protect their children from abuse, denying victims of domestic violence justice in the courts. The fact that some parents behave badly in ordinary cases is no reason to ignore real abuse when it is presented to the court,” also stated Else.
Joan Meier, DV LEAP’s Executive Director, said, “PAS was invented to defeat child abuse claims - and it has been remarkably successful in misleading family courts into believing that women who are sincerely trying to protect their children and themselves from abuse, are just seeking to end the children’s relationship with their noncustodial father.”


According to NNEDV, DV LEAP, SFV, and NCADV, victims of domestic violence face a surprisingly uphill battle in family court to win custody of and safety for their children. All too often, courts award custody and unsupervised visitation to parents found to have committed domestic abuse. Many courts handling custody cases do not understand the dynamics of domestic violence and fail to properly factor in the impact of abuse when considering the best interests of the child.


“The most important factor judges should be weighing in making custody decisions is the safety of the mother and children, and the introduction of PAS overshadows this critical need for safety,” said Rita Smith, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Meier states that research has shown that children become “alienated” from a parent for a variety of valid reasons, most often resulting from the parent’s own negative behavior and relationship with that child.


“The proponents of ‘parental alienation syndrome’ are purveying invalid junk science is not even legally admissible. PAS has been emphatically rejected by the Presidential Task Force of the American Psychological Association and by the National Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges. Leading researchers in the field of custody have agreed that PAS has no scientific validity and the only courts to address the issue have found it inadmissible,” said Meier.


“With the increased media attention surrounding the release of Alec Baldwin’s book, it is important to let the public know that victims of domestic violence are being silenced through the use of ‘parental alienation syndrome.’ We cannot afford to consign thousands of children to unsafe custody or visitation with abusive parents because family courts have come to believe that abuse allegations mean nothing more than a campaign of alienation,” said Else.


Freud found that women were “hysterical” could this be an extension of hysteria, I think not. I was abused both emotionally and physically, I will not allow a judge to tell me what I feel or don’t feel. I had enough of that banter with my ex-husband’s lawyer, who in a court of law stated, “I was a hysterical woman”, and by the way, was a woman.


Alec Baldwin exhibited threatening behavior toward his child which happened to end up on the Internet. As a mother, you better believe I will protect that child from that behavior. If a man does that, especially in the public eye, you loose your right as a parent and now become a perpetrator of violence. So when a woman protects her child from violence, she is labeled, with PAS Syndrome and deemed by the court as withholding the father’s right to visit with his child. I don’t think so.

Custody Visitation Scandal Cases

Original story at Stop Family Violence:

Custody Visitation Scandal Cases
by Barry Goldstein Esq.

The movement to end domestic violence started when women began to speak to each other about their experiences of spousal abuse, which had always been considered a private matter. These discussions led to the realization that domestic violence was far more common then generally believed. This discovery was necessary in order to begin the work to end domestic violence.

Today, disturbingly, in thousands of custody-visitation cases all over the country, abused women and children are being revictimized rather than protected. Some of the cases have been publicized, but most have been hidden from public view. Often the media is reluctant to feature such cases, because they don’t have the resources to determine which side is telling the truth or out of fear of lawsuits. As a result, only the victims and genuine experts are aware of the pattern and frequency of such cases.

When women first started to learn about the extent to which men were abusing their female partners, there was no term to describe such behavior. Only later was the term domestic violence invented. This was an important step, because it gave us common language to describe an all too common and harmful behavior pattern. I believe we now need a term that describes cases in which women and children are further abused by the courts instead of being protected. I suggest using the term CUSTODY-VISITATION SCANDAL CASES, which would help us to better detect and understand the pattern and frequency of such atrocities, so that we can stop such abuse in the future.

Custody-Visitation Scandal Cases can be defined as having many but not all of the following attributes:

Allegations of domestic violence and/or child abuse made by the mother and/or child(ren)
A failure or refusal by court agents (attorneys, law guardians, forensic evaluator, therapists, and/or judge) to take such allegations seriously.
An outcome that places the children at serious risk
An outcome that appears to be 180 degrees from what it should be.
An outcome that gives custody to the alleged abuser and restricted visitation to the protective mother.
The use by the abusive father and his attorney of “standard abuser tactics” (i.e. seeking custody to punish the mother or maintain control; using visitation or custody to harass mother; claiming that unfounded child protective claims were made falsely and maliciously by the mother; attempting to manipulate the children etc.)
The propogation of myths and stereotypes about domestic violence (i.e. that mothers and children frequently make false allegations of abuse to gain an advantage in litigation) by the court and its agents.
Using “experts” with little or no training and understanding of domestic violence.
Gender bias and double standards (mothers being held to a higher standard than fathers)
Failure to consider and use up-to-date domestic violence research.
Approaches that blame the victim.
Use of biased or unsupported theories (i.e. Parental Alienation Syndrome; “Angry women”; “Vindictive women”; alienation; masochism etc.)
Extreme penalties against protective mothers.
Outcomes that make it appear like the judge was bribed even though that is usually not the cause of the judicial abuse.

I am not saying that every case that fits many of the above criteria has to have been improperly decided, but I believe research will find that 98% or more of such cases have been tragically mishandled. Custody-Visitation Scandal Cases should be identified, examined. and corrected when necessary. Even more important, society must create a system to prevent such cases from happening.

UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman invites you to Say NO to Violence against Women. "One in three women may suffer from abuse and violence in her lifetime. This is an appalling human rights violation. We can put a stop to this. I became UNIFEM's Goodwill Ambassador to amplify the voices of these women. That's why I signed my name to this book. It will help UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a strong supporter of our cause, to strengthen the United Nation's efforts to fulfil women's right to a life free of violence. So please join me. And add your name."

Add your voice to an ever-growing movement of people who call for global action to end violence against women. Goal: One million people to say no to violence, and deliver to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on November 25th. Click here to go to the Say No To Violence website.

Why now may be a good time for a Modification in Child Support Payments or Custody

A post by a "shared parenting" person, who supports the using the claim of PAS...but I think it has some points for use by us noncustodial moms who have lost our children from false claims of the so-called PAS syndrome.

18 October 2008
by Stuart Showalter

Although much of this article focuses on Indiana law it is generally applicable to all states and can be conformed through application of the various state statutes. Although most parents do care about and love their children there are some who can’t or won’t provide a loving and nurturing environment to their children and require special consideration not applicable to this topic.

The United States and the world is in what will likely be a prolonged recession and it now appears that the general population knows it. Government officials are even starting to hint at it also. In October 2008 the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Survey fell from 70.3 to 57.5 even as fuel prices were retreating. [Any reading below 100 indicates that consumers have a negative feeling about future economic activity] Consumers were especially bleak in their outlook for employment and inflation.

What does this mean for Parents, both the Non-Custodial Parent (NCP) and Custodial Parent (CP) as it relates to existing court orders? If you haven’t already, you likely will face a change in circumstances, primarily employment, that is continuing and substantial enough to justify a modification in support payments or custody. Your former spouse may change jobs, take on a second job or lose employment. Relocation will also become probable as companies consolidate or merge to save costs. This can affect not only income but also place of residence, time of day scheduled to work, daycare and/or babysitting.

Child support payment and custody orders that are based upon two working parents with a child in a daycare may require modification. The child reaching school age is the most obvious when cost of daycare has been made a part of the child support payment order. This is a change in circumstances that often goes unnoticed or challenged but can cost $1000’s per year to a NCP not seeking a modification. Additionally, a remarried parent in a two earned family that suddenly becomes a one earner family can produce a significant change.

If the NCP loses a job and the parents live in close proximity then the NCP could provide child care services for the parties children. This is mandatory in Indiana where the NCP is to be given first right-of-refusal to provide childcare services when the CP or a family member cannot. This can be a cost savings for both and also give the child more interaction with the NCP which is a benefit to the child.

Similarly, if the CP loses employment and can provide care for the child then daycare expenses would be eliminated.

Either parent losing employment is going to have an effect on child support payment calculations. If it is you who is paying then naturally it is in your best interest to run straight to the courthouse and ask for a modification. If the CP loses employment then the NCP may want to offer to help alleviate some of the costs and stress associated with child rearing. This could be taking the children to practices and events, keeping them in the evening and feeding them. This will give the other parent a chance to look for employment and get a break from some of the expenses. Ultimately it benefits the children and both parents should be receptive to this.

It economically stressful times neither parent is going to want to spend a considerable amount of money on attorneys. This can be beneficial to your children in that if you are a NCP seeking more time or a CP seeking to have the NCP have the children more and have lost your job you have the upper hand. Such as life is that would be the time to take advantage. With a little help you don’t need to hire an attorney.

The parent who has a job knows that the other likely can’t afford to pay attorney fees and would be stuck paying them. A prolonged battle will only be had by the most vindictive of parents. Instead I suggest that if you are the NCP who has hit upon hard times that you request greater custody and a corresponding reduction in child support payments. If your are the CP who has hit upon hard times and are wanting the NCP to have more involvement then you can request that the NCP spend more time caring for the children. In exchange you offer not to seek to have support payments modified upward since you lost your job.

In a time of economic crisis the “me” culture always resorts back to family and community. There is no better reason to do this than for the benefit of your children. Regardless of your relationship status with your child(ren)’s other parent there is one thing that will never change: You both have the responsibility to set aside your differences and work together for what is best for your children.

Gun Powder and Lead: Violence in Custody Cases

Very moving video. When will the family courts realize what is happening when they make their horrible decisions!

The Julian Jam

For the ninth consecutive year, The Julian Center is hosting The Julian Jam presented by Ratio Architects, Inc. and Barnes & Thornburg, LLP.

The Julian Jam is a Big Band evening filled with live music by The Stardusters, swing dancing, hors d'oeuvres, drinks, silent auction, and chances to win fun gifts. Naptown Stomp Lindy Hop Society will be on hand to provide short lessons and swing time fun!

The proceeds from this event will help underwrite the children’s programming at The Julian Center and in particular, the onsite therapy program for child victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.


WHEN: Saturday, November 8, 2008
7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.


WHERE: American Cabaret Theatre
401 East Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Parking is available on the streets
and area parking lots.


COST: Individual tickets are available for $20. You may order your tickets online by clicking here or over the phone by calling Molly Barrick at 317.941.2220. MasterCard, Visa, and American Express are accepted.

Table sponsorships are also available. For more information, click here. You may also contact Pamela Testa at 317.941.2215.

Clothesline Highlights Survivor's Plight

Clothesline highlights survivors' plight
By Bob Scott • bscott@journalandcourier.com • October 2, 2008

"Love is not pain."

"Stop the violence."

The hand-painted T-shirts communicate silently as they hang above the atrium in Ivy Hall at Ivy Tech Community College. The colorful T-shirts were made by local mothers and children who survived domestic violence. The shirts' creators were served by the YWCA's Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program. A brief ceremony Wednesday at Ivy Tech kicked off the local, monthlong "Clothesline Project" and its T-shirt displays. The project is part of a YWCA effort to raise awareness about violence against women. Other local T-shirt displays are at Indiana Business College and in the Purdue Memorial Union.

Last year, 75 women died in Indiana because of domestic violence, said the YWCA's Jasmine Dowd, outreach coordinator of the Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program. "We want to remind those who suffer from domestic violence that they are not alone," she said. A joint proclamation from local governmental officials showed support for survivors of domestic violence.

Issuing the proclamation were West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis, Lafayette Clerk Cindy Murray and Tippecanoe County Commissioner Ruth Shedd. "There is nothing more disruptive to a family and a community than domestic violence," said Dennis, a former deputy chief with the Lafayette Police Department.

Domestic violence review team forming

By Barrett Newkirk, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer

ANDERSON — Madison County took a step Wednesday toward fighting its high rate of domestic violence related deaths. Government and service agency officials announced that a newly formed Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team will begin reviewing closed cases to determine how deaths linked to domestic violence could have been prevented.

It is the first review team of its kind in Indiana and took two years of planning to get off the ground after Madison County commissioners adopted an ordinance in 2006 to form the team. The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation in 2004 to encourage county review teams. Madison County's team is partially funded through a federal grant. "I'm very excited that this is the first team, and I can't wait to see what results we share statewide," said Laura Berry Berman, executive director on the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

In the 12 months from July 2007 through June 2008, Madison County had six domestic violence-related homicides. Five of those occurred in the first half of 2008.
That's compared with just two deaths in all of 2007, three in 2006 and only one in 2005. Berman said Madison County ranked third for its overall deaths and first based on population, which shows the crucial role of the new review team. Research shows that high unemployment and access to guns are factors that frequently contribute to domestic violence related deaths, Berman said, and with local unemployment above the state average and Indiana's high number of gun owners, those trends could be part of the recent rise in deaths. But only by examining closed cases will the review team be able to determine what factors lead to the deaths, she said.

However, several members on the team emphasized that domestic violence-related deaths are never inevitable. "We know that domestic violence-related fatalities can be prevented, and our goal is to intervene and reduce those fatalities," said Kandi Floyd, a victim advocate at Alternatives Inc. and a member of the review team. Other members of the team include law enforcement officials, social service leaders and domestic violence awareness advocates.

To see the orginal story, please click here.

Another Noncustodial Mom and Her Children Being Kept From Seeing Each Other

Sadly, Danielle Malmquist (Germantown, TN) has been jailed by the Honorable Judge Jerry Stokes, Shelby County, Tennessee. Even sadder is that her wussy exhusband, Shem Malmquist, claims he is now disabled from the stress from this case. Apparently Shem has a bigger problem with ego. In the book “Professional Pilot Career Guide” by Robert P. Marks, published by McGraw-Hill Professional, 2nd Ed. (1999), ISBN-10 0071346910, on page 266, Shem Malmquist is quoted as saying (with respect to upgrading to captain) “The ego can be a big deal for some people (in upgrading), also the pleasure of being the boss and running the cockpit the way you like it.” Oops, your ego is showing again, Shem. The court and all involved need to think of those children’s rights before letting those egos get in the way of things.



Also visit Fox-13 Memphis’s site for the update: Custody Fight Continues, Mom Jailed. Read about Danielle and the background of her case from a local reporter:

Blog story by Ernie Freeman, Co-host of Fox-13’s Emmy Award winning Good Morning Memphis.

The strange custody story involving the Danielle Malmquist and her ex husband Shem, a FedEx pilot, aired last night. In the end we learned that a Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Jerry Stokes granted Shem his petition for divorce, and gave him custody of their two children, and ordered Danielle to have supervised visitation with her boys, at a cost of $100 per hour. If Danielle visits the maximum allowable hours each week, which is eight, she would have to pay $800 a week to see her boys. She’s unemployed. Which raises the question many people have asked me since the story aired, why does she have to pay $100 dollars an hour. The question I have is why does she have to pay at all.

Representative John DeBerry, who chairs the Tennessee Children and Family Affairs Committee is now looking into this matter. Danielle says she hopes to appeal, but worries she may not have the financial capacity to follow through. I suspect this story will have legs. Sadly, for this mother, it may take years to win back her children, or to have a court issue a sensible order that allows her to visit with her children. Look at the story online, and you will see that the Reverend Dwight Montgomery offered his church as a place Danielle could visit with her children for free. With her employment status, and the costs for the supervised visits, this judge has effectively suspended her parental rights.

If you haven’t seen the story, click on the “News” tab, then finid the “I-Team” link on the right side, then go to the “Bizzare Custody” story.

The question I anticipate most from this story is “what did she do?” According to the Judge’s order, she did nothing. Both parents made allegations against each other, as parents often do in divorces, but nothing stuck. In the story I mention the arrests of Danielle. Let me caution you there is evidence those “arrests” may have been orchestrated. Whether they were or not, all charges were dropped, and “other people” were investigated for possibly orchestrating the arrests.

Many parents have called, as they often do following the airing of a divorce, custody story, saying Shelby County Courts are corrupt to the core, particularly Juvenile Court, which Danielle says hi-jacked her children in the first place. Proving the system is corrupt will take more than just a few non custodial parents complaining about how their cases turned out, but clearly “out of balance” rulings by local judges need to looked at from time to time. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jack and Casey He. Or Danielle Malmquist. Or, maybe her little boys, who must be asking, “where is my mommy?”

The Sixth Annual Battered Mother's Custody Conference Dates Are Set

BMCC-VI: SAVE THE DATES!

JANUARY 9th - 11th, 2009
at the HOLIDAY INN HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Wolf Road, Albany, New York

SPECIAL BMCC VI RATE: $99/night
For reservations: 1 -800-HOLIDAY
Ask for the Battered Mother's Custody Conference Block
Free shuttle to/from Albany Airport (5 minutes away)

The Conference includes presentations, round-table discussions, and question & answer sessions with nationally-distinguished professionals whose work is focused on resolving the complex issues facing battered women as they strive to protect themselves and their children in and out of court during custody and visitation disputes. It is open to lay persons, and of special interest to advocates, social workers, psychologists, attorneys, judges, legal personnel, and others involved in the issue of battered women's and abused children's legal and civil rights violations by family courts, DSS, and other government systems.

Single Moms' Sons Can Succeed, New Research Shows

Barack Obama, Michael Phelps Are Examples of Success

By SHARON JAYSON
USA TODAY
Aug. 29, 2008

Conventional wisdom is that boys who grow up without fathers are at greater risk of problems, from doing poorly in school to substance abuse. So how does that account for the high-profile successes of standouts such as presidential candidate Barack Obama, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and others who were reared by single mothers?

Barack Obama and Michael Phelps, both of whom were raised primarily by their mothers, have enjoyed tremendous success in their chosen fields. Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, tonight will accept the Democratic presidential nomination. Phelps just won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. They -- as well as Tour de France-winning cyclist Lance Armstrong, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and actor Benjamin Bratt -- are just some of the accomplished men who grew up in single-parent households for most or all of their youth.

For decades, researchers have said children from two-parent families do better than those raised by a single parent. That's still true, they say. But newer research pokes holes into that all-or-nothing approach, says fatherhood expert Michael Lamb, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge in England. "The key point is yes, there is a risk," he says. "But it's not really a risk inherent in the single-parent family, per se. You can't assume that every child raised by a single parent is going to have difficulties. The majority don't."

Lamb says that decades ago, researchers were concerned about risks to children, and "their concerns were driven by a lot of cultural assumptions, which led them to propose kids are better off in the traditional family."

"The evidence, on the whole, hasn't supported that, but the beliefs have persisted in society," he says. Another expert on fatherhood, sociologist Tim Biblarz of the University of Southern California-Los Angeles, says the evidence shows economics plays a significant role in the risk for negative outcomes, such as poorer grades and lower educational attainment, substance abuse or poor social adjustment.

"Those who grow up with single mothers with adequate socioeconomic resources tend to do well. The children of poor single mothers are more at risk," Biblarz says. "Many of the results that say that kids are at increased risk for negative outcomes have to do with economics."

According to the most recent data for 2007 from the U.S. Census, 8.4 million boys under 18 were living with a single mother. That's 22 percent of all boys in that age group in the USA. Lamb says children do better if they have a good relationship with the in-home parent, as well as if the parents have low conflict; if the parent has economic resources; and if children have individual resilience to adverse circumstances.

"What's important is not whether they are raised by one or two parents. It's how good is the relationship with the parent, how much support they're getting from that parent and how harmonious is the environment. "In the case of Obama, his mother was not particularly well off, though she was well-resourced intellectually and had been to college and had supportive parents," Lamb says.

Michael Kimmel, a sociologist and gender studies expert at Stony Brook University in New York, says the resident parent has a huge effect. "We see constantly children of single-parent families who thrive because the parents are so devoted because they're compensating for the absence of the other parent," he says.


But Biblarz says the idea "that boys in particular need fathers in the way girls need mothers" doesn't hold true. "I can tell you there's almost no evidence supporting that," he says. "For a variety of reasons, children who grow up with single fathers, for example, are at higher risk than those who grow up with single mothers for either sex."

In the case of swimmer Phelps, mothers such as Debbie Phelps have the right approach, says Peggy Drexler, author of the 2005 book Raising Boys Without Men. "Phelps was born with a gift that his mother nurtured," says Drexler, an assistant professor of psychology at Cornell University's Weill Medical College in New York City. Such mothers "don't hold them back," she says. "They encourage their talents, and drive and encourage independence and a sense of adventure."

The "Pig Page"

Check out the "Pig Page", as Liz Kates refers to it. Liz is an attorney in FL and is very careful about what she put on her page. These are quotes directly from these Fathers Righters that she has gathered from their own writings either to her, or others, with full dates, times, email headers, etc. Look at how ignorant and vicious these quotes are.

The Pig Page

Liz is no dummy.

Internet Safety Tips for Abused Women

If you are in danger, please try to use a safer computer that someone abusive does not have direct or remote hacking access to. If you think your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don’t need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone’s computer and Internet activities – anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor with programs like Spyware, keystroke loggers and hacking tools.

It is not possible to delete or clear all the “footprints” of your computer or online activities. If you are being monitored, it may be dangerous to change your computer behaviors such as suddenly deleting your entire Internet history if that is not your regular habit. If you think you may be monitored on your home computer, be careful how you use your computer since an abuser might become suspicious. You may want to keep using the monitored computer for normal activities, such as looking up the weather or recipes. Use a safer computer to research an escape plan, look for new jobs or apartments, bus tickets, or ask for help.

Email and Instant/Text Messaging (IM) are not safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life. If possible, please call a hotline instead. If you use email or IM, please use a safer computer and an account your abuser does not know about. Computers can store a lot of private information about what you look at via the Internet, the emails and instant messages you send, internet-based phone and IP-TTY calls you make, web-based purchases and banking, and many other activities. It might be safer to use a computer in a public library, at a community technology center (CTC), at a trusted friend’s house, or an Internet Café.