Quote:
Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy
Absolutely sickening, this 'mother' had no business with these children, a total failure of the system.
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Quote:
A Sunday afternoon in October, while her mother — who was using prescription tranquilizers — was napping in their Arkansas home, 3-year-old Alexis Haney climbed into the washing machine and closed the lid.
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The
washing machine, which the family used as a dirty clothes hamper, was
programmed to switch on when the lid closed. After the clothes were clean, one child would climb into the open machine and pass the wet clothes to another, who would then toss them into the dryer.
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Well, for one thing, the Arkansas Dept. of Child Protection (the name of the agency varies from state to state) should be out to make sure that washing machine is reprogrammed so that it doesn't start automatically when the lid is closed. & the lid should be programmed not to lock @ all - just in case.
& I would assume - as noted elsewhere on this thread - that a woman about to deliver shouldn't be taking prescription tranks while pregnant - although that may be after the fact. In general, I would expect Arkansas DCP to go through the house & yard & car(s) & make sure that meds & dangerous chemicals are out of children's reach or locked away, or in child-resistant containers, that steps are safe, handrails in place, the whole nine yards. Might's well check that smoke alarms have batteries & are functional, electrical switch plates are in place, extensions are grounded, in good condition, & that outlets aren't overloaded. Heck, might as well check the electrical system, fans, breaker box, plumbing, sewage, heaters, water pumps, air conditioning, structural (floors, roof, walls, doors, windows) while you're @ it.
It's probably too late to make much of an impact on the mom's future - but those children have merely had the misfortune to be born into that household. TMK, that isn't a capital crime, & they deserve as much care as the state can give them.
If an inspection turns up too many preventable accidents ready to happen, Arkansas DCP might initiate proceedings to remove the children from a hostile environment. That's a last step, & one that courts are very reluctant to take. Nonetheless, one child has already died in her care.
Mom could take parenting classes, get & stay
clean, formalize her marriage status, finish high school or take college courses, hold a job - the court can impose conditions for returning the children to her care.
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A possible course of action
