Welcome to Mothers Of Lost Children – Indianapolis
Welcome. If you have visited our site because you are finding yourself in the middle of contested child custody litigation or have lost your children, you have our most heartfelt sympathies. Roughly 80% of divorces in our country involve uncontested custody determinations in which both parties agree it is best for the children to reside primarily with their mother in her continued primary care-taking role. It is the other 20% of contested custody cases that the family court gets involved in and usually the results are horrific.
Because of the pervasiveness of family violence in our country and the astounding nationwide system failure of our family courts to protect women and child victims, much of this sites’ focus is on assisting and educating protective mothers, and mother who have lost their children because of the family court system.
“Studies show batterers are able to convince authorities that the victim is unfit or undeserving of sole custody in approximately 70% of challenged cases. ” (American Judges Association)
“Fathers who batter mothers are 2 times more likely to seek sole physical custody of their children than are non-violent fathers.” (APA1996, p. 40.)
For the abuser, the courtroom is the last tool in his toolbox to control and abuse his victims. It is our goal to reverse this trend for the benefit of our children and our nation’s future as a peaceful, non-violent society. Additionally, as we work to change the systematic removal of mothers from children’s lives, we can support each other through this struggle, and support each others efforts to try and be good mothers to our children, even in our limited capacity.
Children Who Witness Abuse or are Abused Need Help in Indiana: Will Anybody Listen?
This article is from The Guardian in the United Kingdom. However, with the lack of concern about domestic violence in Indiana and it’s affects on children, a program definitely needs to started here like this. And while having school children learn about what is right and wrong, make the state legislators, all family court judges, and CPS/DSC personnel, who continue to turn their back on abuse if custody is involved, get some training on this also. They all seem blind to the fact children are horribly affected by this….they don’t seem to care. Family court judges willingly hand full custody to abusers here in Indiana, and refuse to consider bona fide abuse and expert testimony in their decisions. Someone in this state has got to step up and do what is right for the children here.
What role should teachers have in preventing domestic violence?
Classes about abusive relationships are to become compulsory for children as young as five. Chris Keates says they could break the cycle of misery in homes
Domestic violence and bullying are about the exploitation of power differentials.
Evidence demonstrates that one in four women will experience some form of domestic violence during their lifetime. What is often overlooked is the impact of this abuse on the thousands of children and young people who witness, experience and in some cases perpetuate this violence.
We know that the experience of domestic violence manifests itself in the behaviour of school pupils in a variety of ways. Children and young people who live in domestic abuse situations may have an increased risk of being bullied or be unable to fully participate in school life. Their anger and distress may also lead them to bully other pupils, and educational attainment often suffers.
To argue, as some have done, that tackling domestic violence should not fall within schools‘ remit is to miss the point. The teaching union Nasuwt believes that educating young people about healthy relationships and tackling bullying, violence and other inappropriate behaviour towards women and young girls is central to schools’ purpose.
The Nasuwt was the first union to launch a programme of work on prejudice-related bullying, and has worked closely with the TUC on tackling violence against women in the workplace. We have been at the forefront of raising this problem and have ensured it is included in government anti-bullying guidance.
Both domestic violence and bullying are about the exploitation of power differentials: government figures show that in the 2006/07 academic year there were 3,500 temporary exclusions and 140 permanent exclusions from schools in England for sexual misconduct, including incidents such as groping, using sexually insulting nicknames, daubing obscene graffiti and serious sexual attacks.
In total, 280 of the fixed-term expulsions were from primary schools, and in 20 cases the child responsible was just five years old.
Using personal, social and health education to develop discussion and learning on domestic violence is an important starting point, and enables all of these issues to be considered coherently. However, this will be futile if the issue is not seen as the responsibility of the whole school. If behaviour in the playground and whole school environment is inconsistent with messages in the classroom, school pupils may not take the issue seriously. Staff, parents, governors and students all need to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude to all forms of violence and discrimination.
Domestic violence is an emotive and complex issue and it will be critical that schools are able to draw upon the expertise of qualified staff (other than teachers) who are best able to deliver specific advice and knowledge. An increase in education on domestic violence and abuse may also lead to an increase in students disclosing violence in their homes. It will be important that appropriate training and support is provided for school staff to be able to deal with this.
Domestic violence tends to repeat itself down the generations. Today’s announcement from the government is a welcome and important opportunity to break this cycle of abuse and ensure future generations are better equipped to resist the misery that domestic violence inflicts on all those caught up in it.
• Chris Keates is general secretary of the Nasuwt teaching union
New Ombudsman: Will Susan Hoppe Really Look Out for Indiana’s Children?
We’ll have to see if this will really improves the situation for Indiana’s children, or it is another case of the fox guarding the hen house…
Ombudsman to shed light on child welfare
November 14, 2009 by Tim Evans | Star staff
An Indianapolis woman with 25 years of experience in the field of child welfare — from the front lines to policy consulting — will be the state’s first child services ombudsman.
Gov. Mitch Daniels announced the appointment of Susan Hoppe to the post Friday. She will begin her job Dec. 14.
“I have no agenda,” Hoppe said, “except to improve the system and certainly improve the public’s confidence in the Department of Child Services.
“I am going into this job quite open-minded. I plan to do a lot of listening, reviewing and observing.”
Hoppe said she will run the office — which has a budget of $145,000, including her $90,000 salary — as a one-person operation.
The position was created by the legislature during the special session in June.
Child and family rights activists had lobbied the past two years for the creation of an ombudsman. The calls were driven, in large part, by the deaths of several children involved with DCS and the growing number of children being removed from families by the agency, which was created by Daniels in 2005.
Backers contend an independent monitor is needed to oversee a state child welfare system that does much of its work behind a mandated veil of secrecy. Although that confidentiality requirement is intended to protect victims, it leaves unanswered many important questions about the actions of DCS — particularly in controversial or high-profile cases in which children are injured or die.
Ombudsmen in about 30 other states often review such cases and issue reports that shed light on how they were handled. That independent review can bolster public confidence in an agency’s actions or point out shortcomings that need to be addressed.
Hoppe’s experience working in several areas of child welfare and her listening skills make her an ideal person for the post, said Sharon Pierce, president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana.
“Susan has a really rich background and will be a really outstanding advocate for everyone involved — children, families and the community,” said Pierce, who also heads The Villages, Indiana’s largest nonprofit children’s and family services provider.
Hoppe, 65, is a social worker with Marion County Circuit and Superior courts, where she works with families involved in custody cases, according to a release from the governor’s office. In addition, she was the courts’ representative on the county’s child protection team.
Prior to working for the courts, she held several positions with the Marion County Office of Family and Children, which handled state child welfare and protection functions before the creation of DCS. Her work included a six-year stint managing 50 employees who investigated child abuse and neglect allegations and provided services to families and children.
“We look forward to meeting with her soon to discuss ways we can work together for the benefit of Indiana children and families,” said Ann Houseworth, spokeswoman for DCS.
Hoppe earned her undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University and has a master’s degree from Butler University. She has two grown children.
Thanks Indiana Supreme Court! But How About When Brizzi Won’t Go After Child Sexual Abusers?
I see the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission is taking more action. Thank you! But so much more has to be done about the corrupt situation in the family courts here with the lawyers and the judges dealing with these cases. Nothing that Carl Brizzi is being investigated for in the current complaint compares with having his office look the other way when a child is being sexually abused, just because it is involving a child in a custody case.
Something has got to be done about letting children continue to be sexually abused, letting women continue to be battered, then taking their children away to be awarded to the abusers.
From the Indianapolis Star:
Brizzi faces disciplinary charges
The Indiana Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Commission has leveled charges against Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi for public comments about two cases, including the 2006 Hamilton Avenue slayings.The commission accuses Brizzi, a Republican, of making comments in a 2006 news release and during a 2008 news conference that went beyond informing the public of his decisions to file charges.
The complaint cites several comments by Brizzi condemning the two defendants accused of killing seven people on Hamilton Avenue, including: “They weren’t going to let anyone or anything get in the way of what they believed to be an easy score.” He said the crime merited the death penalty.
Last year, Brizzi speculated about accused serial killer Bruce Mendenhall’s mindset and discussed evidence against him in an Indianapolis killing.
The commission says in its Oct. 1 verified complaint that such comments outside the courtroom violate professional rules of conduct and could prejudice a case.
Desmond Turner’s trial in the Hamilton Avenue case begins Monday. Brizzi recently dropped his death penalty request in a deal that included Turner waiving his right to a jury.
“I think the timing is suspicious,” Brizzi said Wednesday. “I will reserve comment until I see the complaint.”
The Indiana Supreme Court will give Brizzi a chance to respond. In attorney discipline cases, the court can issue sanctions ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment.
Also see: Carl Brizzi: Prosecuting Battered Women
Those Special “Relationships” Indianapolis Judges and Lawyers Have: Why Can’t the Indiana Supreme Court Get Rid of the Corrupt Bastards?
Have you been a victim to an abuser represented by Andrew J. Thompson? He implies that he has “special relationships” with judges in Marion County. No surprise that the judges here would have special relationships…others have been screwed over because their perp’s lawyers have these relationships with them.
From Andrew J. Thompson’s website, on fighting charges of “Child Molestation, Domestic Violence and Battery“:
Very close in importance is the experience and relationship an attorney has with the judge and the courts where your case will be heard. It cannot guaranty a positive result, and if your case can go to a jury, the relationship with the judge is far less important, but it can make a difference in many ways.
Really? In what ways, Andrew? You will see this text on his website in the screenshot below.
So if your abuser got off easy, or the charges were dismissed or totally blown off, investigate further. This “relationship” with the judge may have just screwed you over, and nobody should be subjected to that. We have to stop the business as usual here in Marion County Courts where domestic violence is blown off and abusers are getting custody of children from their victims. Shame on crooked lawyers like this! Indiana Supreme Court and Indiana Judical Commission, please get your blinders off to what these corrupt bastards are doing!
How Do We Stop Domestic Violence In Indiana? Here is Our List!
Do we expect anything to come of this…hardly. The courts in Indiana refuse to take domestic violence seriously. If there are allegations of domestic violence in a relationship, the perp’s lawyer will have it pulled out of domestic violence court (Court #21 in Marion County) and pull it into family court, even if they didn’t start there. This is where the perp’s lawyer will turn it into a he said/she said battle, with allegations even more outrageous, in an effort to cloud the issue on who the abuser actually is. Even with actual evidence, the crooked judges here often ignore it. And there are plenty of father-leaning Whores of the Court here to feed it to them (see Local “Stepfamily” Counselor Celebrates Baby’s Death and Leading Lambs to the Slaughter…).
When the Indianapolis Star gives a local neonazi/skinhead father’s rights guy Stuart Showalter, of Boone County Fathers, the opportunity to pimp a shared parenting bill he is getting his lackey State Senator Dennis Kruse to submit to the legislature, and not print a letter from us warning of the dangers of these abusive parents using claims of “Parental Alienation Syndrome” as an excuse to get children from mothers when Governor Daniels signed a proclamation day for this, it is horrifying (see Our New Letter for the Press: The “Parental Alienation Awareness” Scam gets our Governor Mitch Daniels). But that is the patriarchal cultural of Indiana. You only have to look at the front pages of the Indianapolis Star on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year to see that. And did you catch the Mother’s Day message from Senator Evan Bayh. That’s right, he didn’t send one, but he did to father’s on Father’s Day in preparation of submitting his Fatherhood Initiative bill to congress. Listen to the talk radio stations here in town. An hour hardly goes by without father’s rights lawyers Cordell & Cordell advertising on how they will get the kids for guys (yes, they know who has to the money to fight the fight) and “protect their financial means to do so.” Gag gag gag. It is not about the kids for these guys. It is about the $$$.
Showalter blamed Angie Warnock for her own death by saying she shouldn’t had gotten a protective order against him, that it just caused the situation to get worse (see Joseph Warnock Takes Responsibility For Killing Angie, but Stuart Showalter Still Blames Her). Really? Stuart believes that every father, violent or not, deserves to share the child…50/50, even if the parent didn’t share in parenting before, even if the parent abused the other parent in front of the childen (he just needs family counseling Showalter claims). I wonder how Angie’s two daughter feel about their father now, having witnessed him stabbing her in front of them.
Until the patriarchal, victim-blaming, mother-bashing culture comes to an end here, we will continue to see more victims at the hands of these violent men.
1. Stop the Mickey Mouse diversion programs…put the abuser in jail.
2. Stop pulling domestic violence charges out of the DV court. It is not a civil matter, it is a CRIMINAL matter.
3. Stop taking children from mothers and giving them to the abusers, often with the mothers not allowed to see their children again. Yes, that happens here. It happens all the time.
4. Start making the judges here follow the law. Stop slapping their hands…fire them (see Miami County Judge Publically Admonished by Indiana for Awarding Child Custody to Father Without Telling Mother).
It’s time to wake up people.
From today’s Indianapolis Star:
County forms task force to review deaths from domestic violence
Recent domestic violence deaths spurs county to form task force
The Hendricks County Commissioners have approved the formation of a task force to review local deaths from domestic violence.
The county has been stung with at least three such deaths in the past year, and that has triggered the formation of at least two organizations that will probe the causes and try to prevent more deaths.
One is a task force created with a new county ordinance to review previous deaths and report to state agencies that track statewide trends in domestic violence. The other organization is the revival of the long-dormant Hendricks County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
October is National Domestic Violence Month.
The most recent of the three domestic violence deaths that have raised concerns in the county was the June killing of Angela Warnock, who was stabbed more than 50 times in front of her daughters. Her husband, Joseph Warnock, pleaded guilty to murder and faces sentencing Oct. 9.
The task force to review fatalities from domestic violence was created in response to a year-old state law.
Hendricks County Prosecutor Patricia Baldwin said the law requires each county to create a group to analyze causes and responses to domestic violence and report findings to the state.
“Domestic violence cuts across all economic and social levels in our communities, or at least that’s what we believe is the case, but it isn’t always easy to confirm,” Baldwin said. “This is part of a program to track the trends and our response.”
The ordinance requires the formation of a task force with about 15 members, including government officials, a judge, police, prosecutors, an emergency room physician, a defense attorney, a religious leader or pastor, a worker in a battered women’s shelter, and a pathologist or coroner. It also requires an educator, a probation officer, an animal control officer and representatives from the business community.
Baldwin said the task force would look at past deaths to see what could have been done to avoid or prevent such a tragedy.
“I think our responses have been pretty good. I don’t know that much would have changed” to affect the recent cases in the county, she said.
The Hendricks County Coalition has reformed after having lapsed for eight years.
Since August, about 15 people whose jobs touch domestic abuse and violence, have met twice to revive the coalition.
Julie Randall, a former director of Danville’s Sheltering Wings Center, said a preliminary online survey of professionals dealing with domestic violence found 72 percent believe violence is increasing.
Members of the coalition said they would step up efforts to educate the public about the causes of violence and the resources available to settle situations.
If necessary, they said they would look for reforms in state law, law enforcement and social services. They would train volunteers to expand on the county victims assistance program, with trained volunteers in the courthouse to direct victims of domestic violence to shelter and aid.
They look to the success of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which educated the public about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
“MADD stigmatized the crime of drunk driving so that it is not socially acceptable,” said Brian Johnson, a defense attorney from Brownsburg. “If you want to effect real change in domestic violence, than you have to create deterrence.”
In another Hendricks County death related to a domestic dispute, Michael R. Gelinas, 49, was killed in the driveway of his Avon home on May 27. John Gary Cooper, 58, Avon, faces one count of murder. Investigators said Cooper believed his wife was romantically involved with Gelinas.
In a third case that deeply affected Hendricks social and domestic violence workers, 44-year-old Yvonne Kretzer died of brain trauma in March in an Indianapolis hospital, after years of beatings. The Ohio woman had sought comfort in the Sheltering Wings Center in Danville, and then went back to her husband.
Child Support Help May Be Available Now to Noncustodial Parents in Indiana, Will the Courts Comply?
I have heard mixed feelings on this. On one point, an abusive custodial parent will probably still continue to deny access of the children to the noncustodial parent. The courts here continue to enable abusers so further changes need to take place (like, ummmmmm, stop giving custody of children to abusers, and start taking domestic violence seriously). But regardless of what new rules are in place, it is hard to get family court judges to follow them. They will continue to support fathers in the courts here to the best of their ability. This allows them to continue the financial abuse they dole out to noncustodial moms, even though they make far more than the moms do. After all, it should be about children’s rights and human rights, not father’s rights, huh? The courts just don’t get that here…
Court modifies support payments
Non-custodial parents could get aid for children
Angela Mapes Turner
The Journal Gazette
The Indiana Supreme Court last week issued sweeping changes to the state’s child-support guidelines that will take effect Jan. 1.
The changes could mean some parents who don’t have primary custody of their children will actually receive child-support payments from custodial parents.
“It’s a real reversal of what people think of generally when they think of child support,” said Ryan Cassman, a central Indiana attorney at Hollingsworth & Zivitz P.C. who wrote about the changes at www.indianadivorceblog.com.
Indiana’s child-support guidelines use a worksheet to calculate child-support payments and balance them with income and the amount of time parents spend with their children.
For example, a custodial parent might earn $200,000 a year and have custody of a child 52 percent of the time. The other, non-custodial parent, could have the child the remainder of the time but earn only $20,000 a year.
Although it seems counterintuitive, in a case like that, with disparate incomes and nearly equal parenting time, child support might be owed to the non-custodial parent, Cassman said.
“Those labels could be misleading,” he said.
Two judges dissented because they thought the decision should be left to the courts, not presumed.
The court also made changes that affect those at the highest and lowest ends of the income scale, reducing the lowest amount of child support that can be required and raising the highest amount.
The changes also give more recognition to situations where requiring unrealistic child-support payments from non-custodial parents who can’t pay could cause those parents to take a lesser role in their children’s lives.
“Ordering support for low-income parents at levels they can reasonably pay may improve non-custodial parent-child contact, and in turn, outcomes for their children,” the order said.
Besides changes affecting parents who receive Social Security payments, the guidelines more clearly define who must pay for a child’s “controlled expenses” – things such as school books and supplies, educational costs and clothing.
Many of those changes were already in case law, but Cassman said the new guidelines will help parents, attorneys and courts sort through costs.
“You kind of had to piece that together before,” he said.
To download the ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court Child Support Rules, please click here.
Fairness and Accuracy in Evaluations of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Custody Determinations
Here is a great paper by Rita Smith and Pamela Coukos, meaning another scientific paper about mothers losing custody of their children to their abusers. One day all the Whores of the Court, i.e. custody evaluators, Guardian ad Litems, psychologists, counselors, will understand that abusers are manipulative and have scammed them enough to get custody away from their victim. They are successful 70% of the time. Here is an excerpt:
Loss of Custody to Abusers
Reforms leading to more meaningful emergency protective measures and an improved criminal justice response do not address what frequently happens after a battered woman gets a restraining order or reaches a point where she feels able to leave an abusive partner, In many cases, she takes that step because witnessing domestic violence is affecting her children. She also may have discovered that her partner is actually physically and/or sexually abusing the children. To protect herself and the children, she files for divorce if the abuser is her husband, and initiates custody proceedings if they have children in common. If they have preexisting legal determinations respecting custody or visitation, she seeks to modify these arrangements. Shockingly, these common sense protective actions too often lead to the nonabusive, “protective” parent being put on trial. She then may face a loss of custody to the abusive parent, a loss of visitation, or in extreme cases, the termination of parental rights.
To download this paper, “Fairness and Accuracy in Evaluations of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Custody Determinations” by Rita Smith and Pamela Coukos, please click here.
Some Indiana Counties Now Have Online Protective Orders Pilot Program
From WTHR:
Victims can request protection orders online
INDIANAPOLIS - A pilot program in eight counties allows domestic violence victims to fill out forms to request protective orders online.
The new Indiana Supreme Court program debuted this month in Elkhart, St. Joseph, Marion, Grant, Madison, Wabash, Tippecanoe and Allen counties. It’s an expansion of the state’s electronic protective order registry that makes new orders available to police statewide within minutes.
The registry is used in all Indiana counties but Jefferson County, where the courthouse was recently heavily damaged by fire.
Once the online forms are completed with the help of a domestic violence advocate, they can be printed and taken to the county clerk for filing.
The improvements were financed by a $135,000 grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.
Submit a request
Remember, consider carefully options before requesting a protective order. Mothers are generally punished by family courts here in Indiana for seeking protection from an abusive spouse. Of course, protective orders meant nothing to the estranged husbands of Angie Warnock, Beth Stayer, and Amenda Yang, who were all murdered recently.
