[Spiff]

Butch is WRONG on this one. Already, I've seen CPS bully their way into innocent families' homes and take their children. In one case the fair-skinned son had a quarter-sized bruise near his buttocks (caused when he and his friends were playing light sabers with PVC pipes) and CPS ended up taking all three children (no other abuse was even suspected) for three years. The children ended up in terrible foster circumstances including unlicensed foster homes. The very young girls were repeatedly subjected to gynecological examinations, the family paid thousands of dollars in legal expenses and submitted to intrusive measures and therapy. In the end CPS finally admitted that all allegations (there were never any formal criminal charges) were meritless and returned the very damaged children to the family.

This was not an isolated incident. CPS already has too much power when it comes to taking children - they certainly don't need more.

[DLfromthedesert]

That's the problem. They were taking children that they shouldn't have, and left kids in homes of druggies who abused them.

[just deserts]

"In the end CPS finally admitted that all allegations (there were never any formal criminal charges) were meritless and returned the very damaged children to the family."

This is the M.O. CPS uses in all states. There seldom are any formal criminal charges. If charges were filed you would get a chance to defend yourself in a criminal court. No charges, just allegations and accusations. These accusations are usually made against people without the financial means to defend themselves so they get their court appointed attorney who represents them in juvenile court. You never get a real trial. When you appear in juvenile court, you get told you have no rights there, you are not a juvenile. The judge, the CPS workers, the court appointed attorneys, the myriad of therapists, the group homes, they are all drawing their sustanance from the taxpayers pockets. It's not quite as big as the WOsD but give it a little more time. It's for the children, you know.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive. Unfortunately, children are abused for real everyday. The tragedy in all of this is just how many of these cases actually turn out to be unfounded. They numbers are astronomical. Somebody help me out here, but isn't it something like 85% ultimately end up unfounded. What other place but government could you have numbers like that and still exist?