January 5, 2004 Supervisor John Flynn Oxnard, California Dear Supervisor Flynn, Recently you e-mailed me asking that I share my knowledge on the law when it comes to the safety of children. The entire issue of returning abused children to their abusers is based on Title 42 of the United States Code. And, as you so well know, those who wish to receive Federal funds must abide by their rules. In this case, Title 42. It requires that every State wishing to receive Federal monies for their Social Services Department must pass a law stating that re-unification of a child with its abuser is not mandated. It goes on to say that the State may return a child to a parent who has previously been convicted of murder, assault with a deadly weapon or even manslaughter of a sibling of the abused child. But of equal danger is the concept that a family must not be broken up, that a child must be given back to the parents because of parental rights. Judges and Social Service personnel see this as a mandate to re-unify the “family unit”. I see it as a “Mythical Family Unit.” When this Law and this concept are adhered to, it places any abused child in danger of irreparable mental harm or physical abuse and the possibility of death Statistics abound to attest to the fact that abused children grow up to be abusers and/or criminals. The emotional damage suffered by abused children is not easily resolved even with continual mental therapy. I have lived with this particular situation for over 15 years because I adopted three such abused children, Jon (18 months), Elizabeth (3 years) & Kenneth (5 years.) Jon, the youngest, suffered brain damage from having been exposed to methamphetamines while in the womb and operates at a very low academic level. There are no laws that prohibit “mothers from marinating their unborn child in meth.”. Jon had been held under water numerous times, suffered a broken femur, and left in his own feces for days at a time. Kenneth was over 5 years old when I adopted him and he weighed only 18-1/2 pounds, his entire set of teeth were beyond repair and required oral surgery, his speech was so primitive that he was not able to communicate effectively with others and had suffered numerous broken bones - not to mention being wrapped tightly in blankets and locked in dark closets. Elizabeth escaped much of the abuse but felt that she had to “take care of the boys so they wouldn’t get beat” - a big burden for such a small child. They are now in their late teens, and for the last 15 years, have received therapy, yet, still exhibit symptoms of food hoarding, aggression, passivity, low achievement levels, selfishness, and poor grades in school. They have not lacked for food, love, attention, or care and have lived at a middle class level since their adoption. I wrote a book about these children and the bureaucratic struggle that ensued in my effort to adopt them. It is the experiences of raising these children and my exposure to child abuse through my law enforcement career that gives me the passion to continue to try to raise the awareness level about child abuse. I have closely studied this problem and followed hundreds of cases in Ventura County. My law enforcement experience in San Diego and in Ventura County continues to shown that the problem of child abuse and re-unification not only exists in Ventura County, but as an epidemic throughout this Country. The numbers can be verified. I hope you become an ally in this struggle because it will take the effort of thousands, if not millions of us to effect a change in the law(s) that permit this problem to continue. More importantly, it will take the involvement of our elected officials to educate and unite their constituencies to bring about the necessary changes that will make this world safer for our most defenseless citizens. Sincerely, Jane LeMond-Alvarez www.janealvarez.com www.americanchild.org

Jane LeMOND Alvarez