Paula Werme

The language of the bill looks good on the surface. I'm going to tell what is happening NOW in abuse and neglect cases. First, you have limited time to get a case to trial because of federal law. This means that I, since 1996, have never seen a DCYF case where the expert or the substance of his or her testimony has been disclosed in advance. In addition, I know of one case where the the DHMC Child abuse expert - a MEDICAL doctor - testified on psychological abuse in a case where she did. not lay eyes on the children or the accused parent. The judge was left to consider the "opinion" of a non-expert with respect to psychological harm, and indeed did concede that the children were psychologically abused - not enough to get them intensive therapy, mind you - just enough to have therapy by zoom in the home. NO family therapy with the accused parent was considered or provided. The entire case was a joke from start to finish. "Trial by ambush" is well settled to be a 14th Amendment no-no, and it goes on all the time in secret courts. So, unless you are willing to provide massive funding for defense attorneys to have these kids psychologically evaluated BEFORE trial, more $$$ for the parent's defense attorneys to DEPOSE DCYF's experts of choice BEFORE trial, lofty wording about psychological abuse is useless. Add to that that it's just fine to have the lowest burden of proof and hearsay is absolutely permitted under 169-C, and it's a recipe for a 14th Amendment right to due process three ring circus, which it already is.