If that were the case, they would be simply neglected. Torturing a child is really taking it further than "baby for welfare".
We've seen it in other WS cases in which parents have no love and attachment for their children. Such parents refuse to allow another relative or someone else custody of their children because they know they will lose welfare benefits which they use for their own selfish purposes.
That was the case of Jerice Hunter, who was recently found guilty of the murder of her 5-year-old daughter. For weeks prior to her death, Jhessye Shockley was kept in Hunter's bedroom closet and tortured.
During the first 4 years of her life, Jhessye was lovingly raised by one of her mother's cousins and surrounded by other loving family members while Hunter was in prison for abusing 2 older children. Hunter's mother was awarded custody of several older children, but returned the children to their mother when she was released from prison. Jhessye was forcibly removed from the cousin's house despite lack of a court order, and also returned to Hunter.
Although Hunter's mother hasn't yet been charged with any crimes, posters here on WS suspect that Hunter and her mother insisted on keeping the children despite any emotional attachment because they were both collecting welfare benefits for the children in different states.
You can read the whole sordid story here:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ey-5-Glendale-11-Oct-2011-1-*J-Hunter-guilty*
If anyone doesn't believe that there are parents who torture their children they have no emotional attachment to, but retain custody only to collect welfare benefits, I believe Jhessye's thread will change your mind. And, there are other similar cases, too. Unfortunately, unwanted children often become scapegoats when their parents become angry, frustrated, intoxicated, or high on drugs. It probably happens many more times than anyone realizes because, as in Jhessye's case, the parent(s) come up with multiple excuses as to why a child has been absent so long from school, hasn't been seen outside by the neighbors for weeks, missed the family reunion, etc.
JMO