New Florida Law Re: Kids Left In Cars

Amraann

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I am putting this here because IMO it is a crime..

http://www.parentsbehavingbadly.com...0-minutes-arrested-for-neglect/#comment-82653


If you read the bottom of that blog article starting July 1'st it is illegal to leave a child under 6 in a car for more then 15 mins.

Now although this is actually a step up for the state of Florida since they previously had no such law at all.. I am disgusted that the law allows for a child to be left in a car for up to 15 minutes alone.
Talk about enabling lazy parenting!!
Who the heck is the moron who thought this was a brilliant law??

Even worse is that our govenor had to sign this over objections by several lawmakers ....
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-hotcars2307jun23,0,5448899.story

They were defending the parents!!

"The bill passed the Legislature in May over the objection of several lawmakers, who said it would make criminals out of people who make simple mistakes and that the state should only go so far in telling people how they must raise their children."

It is not a "simple mistake" to be a lazy parent and let your child swelter in a hot car because you cannot be bothered to take them with you while you run into the store.
 
I am putting this here because IMO it is a crime..

http://www.parentsbehavingbadly.com...0-minutes-arrested-for-neglect/#comment-82653


If you read the bottom of that blog article starting July 1'st it is illegal to leave a child under 6 in a car for more then 15 mins.

Now although this is actually a step up for the state of Florida since they previously had no such law at all.. I am disgusted that the law allows for a child to be left in a car for up to 15 minutes alone.
Talk about enabling lazy parenting!!
Who the heck is the moron who thought this was a brilliant law??

Even worse is that our govenor had to sign this over objections by several lawmakers ....
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-hotcars2307jun23,0,5448899.story

They were defending the parents!!

"The bill passed the Legislature in May over the objection of several lawmakers, who said it would make criminals out of people who make simple mistakes and that the state should only go so far in telling people how they must raise their children."

It is not a "simple mistake" to be a lazy parent and let your child swelter in a hot car because you cannot be bothered to take them with you while you run into the store.

I do think this will criminalize the behavior of people who mistakenly leave a child in the car and I don't agree with that.

I wouldn't mind the law if only applied to parents who knowingly left a child in the car.

ETA: and you're right - the 15-minute thing makes no sense at all.
 
How do you mistakenly leave your child in the car? I know where my child is 24/7 and have never left him in the car by mistake. Sure when he is 12 or 13 I may leave him in the car when I run in 7-11 or something but if you aren't smart enough to know your child is in the car then you don't need a child.
 
What? "15 minutes"??? That's crazy.

Sheesh, with that line of thinking I hope they specified what "alone" means.
 
I do think this will criminalize the behavior of people who mistakenly leave a child in the car and I don't agree with that.
I wouldn't mind the law if only applied to parents who knowingly left a child in the car.

ETA: and you're right - the 15-minute thing makes no sense at all.[/quote]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you serious that you don't agree with people being criminalized for "mistakenly" leaving a child in a car??:doh: How do you mistakenly leave a child in the first place? If you forget your own kids in a car you should be rethinking your parenting skills to begin with. and YES YES YES this should finally be a law for those parents who "mistakenly" forget how to be a parent.
 
While I do have some sympathy for those horrific scenarios where someone truly has no idea that the child is in the car, and I think the worst punishment is living with this for the rest of their lives, I think the most offensive part of this story is that this is still only a 2nd degree misdemeanor. I think it might be considered a worse crime to leave your dog in the car. :banghead:

When I think of the effort being spent and the time behind bars for the kid who got a BJ compared to this...it makes me cringe.
 
I do think this will criminalize the behavior of people who mistakenly leave a child in the car and I don't agree with that.
I wouldn't mind the law if only applied to parents who knowingly left a child in the car.

ETA: and you're right - the 15-minute thing makes no sense at all.[/quote]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you serious that you don't agree with people being criminalized for "mistakenly" leaving a child in a car??:doh: How do you mistakenly leave a child in the first place? If you forget your own kids in a car you should be rethinking your parenting skills to begin with. and YES YES YES this should finally be a law for those parents who "mistakenly" forget how to be a parent.

Well, maybe I'm reading different news stories, but at least once a month or so - especially in the warmer months - there is coverage of a case where a parent or caretaker forgets their child, leaves them in the car and the child is harmed.

IMO, many of these types of cases are terrible mistakes on the parent's part and I would not want those types of mistakes criminalized.

Contrarily, if a parent drives to the bar for happy hour and video poker and locks the 3-year-old and 6-year-old in the car while they are in there for the evening - that's not a mistake - that's selfishness because they couldn't get a babysitter. That's a conscious decision and I'd have no problem with that type of decision being illegal.
 
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you serious that you don't agree with people being criminalized for "mistakenly" leaving a child in a car??:doh: How do you mistakenly leave a child in the first place? If you forget your own kids in a car you should be rethinking your parenting skills to begin with. and YES YES YES this should finally be a law for those parents who "mistakenly" forget how to be a parent.

Maybe I'm reading different news stories than y'all, but several times a year there is a story of a parent who forgets their child is in the car, goes about their day and the child is injured or dies.

I consider this type of situation to be a tragic mistake and no, I would not want such a mistake ciminalized.

On the other hand, if a parent goes to the pub for happy hour and to play video poker and locks the 3-year-old and 6-year-old in the car while they have an evening out - that is a conscious decision that they make because they are too selfish or lazy or both to get a babysitter. That sort of decision should be criminalzed.

For me, there are oceans of differences between the two scenarios.
 
Maybe I'm reading different news stories than y'all, but several times a year there is a story of a parent who forgets their child is in the car, goes about their day and the child is injured or dies.

I consider this type of situation to be a tragic mistake and no, I would not want such a mistake ciminalized.

On the other hand, if a parent goes to the pub for happy hour and to play video poker and locks the 3-year-old and 6-year-old in the car while they have an evening out - that is a conscious decision that they make because they are too selfish or lazy or both to get a babysitter. That sort of decision should be criminalzed.

For me, there are oceans of differences between the two scenarios.
i doubt that diffrence of the degree of neglect helps the kids who die. some parents neglect their kids because they are busy and life is hard and they have to work.... others because they want a drink. to me it aint a huge diffrence.
 
I do think this will criminalize the behavior of people who mistakenly leave a child in the car and I don't agree with that.

I wouldn't mind the law if only applied to parents who knowingly left a child in the car.

ETA: and you're right - the 15-minute thing makes no sense at all.
I don't think there should be a difference. I agree with Amra...it's lazy parenting to leave a child in a car unattended for ANY length of time, even by accident.

ETA: What I don't understand is if you put a child IN the car, how do you "forget" to take them out?
 
We have laws in Australia that doesnt allow children to be left in a car for any period of time, as Australia is in the tropics our weather can get quite hot, and children have died that have been left in cars in about 7 minutes in extreme heat conditions. Parents are charged immediately if it is reported, but unfortunately this cannot be policed all the time, so there are a few children that die because nobody knows they are in a car or they didnt report it to the authorities. It just shouldnt happen. You should never leave your children unattended for any length of time.
 
Shazza that is how FLorida is too as far as weather goes...

A person could easily die in ten minutes in a closed up ar here.


Angelmom your 100% correct IT is illegal to leave your pet in the car.
But apparently you can leave your child!

Southcitymom I don't think this will criminalize those parents.
Previous to this if harm came to the child they would have been charged with child neglect.
 
Shazza that is how FLorida is too as far as weather goes...

A person could easily die in ten minutes in a closed up ar here.


Angelmom your 100% correct IT is illegal to leave your pet in the car.
But apparently you can leave your child!

Southcitymom I don't think this will criminalize those parents.
Previous to this if harm came to the child they would have been charged with child neglect.
Oh I forgot to tell you it is also illegal to leave your pet in the car too.
 
i doubt that diffrence of the degree of neglect helps the kids who die. some parents neglect their kids because they are busy and life is hard and they have to work.... others because they want a drink. to me it aint a huge diffrence.

In one scenario, someone forgets something very important. In another scenario, no one forgets anything - a conscious decision is made.

I disagree with criminalizing the honest mistake.

Regardless of my beliefs, this is a poorly drafted law and I doubt it will prevent any kids from dying.

I am glad FL will now be able to charge parents who knowingly leave their children in a car. If FL also wants to use this law to charge parents who unknowingly do so, it seems like overkill to me - the law couldn't possibly punish those parents any worse than their consciences will.
 
Shazza that is how FLorida is too as far as weather goes...

A person could easily die in ten minutes in a closed up ar here.


Angelmom your 100% correct IT is illegal to leave your pet in the car.
But apparently you can leave your child!

Southcitymom I don't think this will criminalize those parents.
Previous to this if harm came to the child they would have been charged with child neglect.

Yes, Amraann - I do agree 100% that FL needs a law so that they can charge parents who do this knowingly - that's certainly the best thing about this new one.

Do you really think it won't be used to criminalize the others? The more I think about it, I think you are probably right. In a case like this about a year ago here in the Atlanta area where a new father accidentally left his newborn in the car after dropping his other kids off at school, he was not charged criminally. I think you are right that LE looks at all the circumstances surrounging these cases. I'm grateful for that.
 
I do think this will criminalize the behavior of people who mistakenly leave a child in the car and I don't agree with that.

I wouldn't mind the law if only applied to parents who knowingly left a child in the car.

ETA: and you're right - the 15-minute thing makes no sense at all.

How do you mistakenly forget your child is in the car with you?

I don't understand your stance re: this issue South, I really don't..
 
How do you mistakenly forget your child is in the car with you?

I don't understand your stance re: this issue South, I really don't..

I know you don't, narla, but you're required to love me anyway! :)

I think we've been on specific threads together regarding this subject - the most recent one I recall was that father of four - 3 older children and an infant and he dropped the older children off at school and forgot about the baby, who wound up left in the car all day and dying.

There was not a single piece of me that felt like that father should be charged with a crime. I felt like it was a there but for the grace of God go I situation. As you know, I've never made a mistake of that magnitude and paid the ultimate price, but I can definitely "get" it. And I don't really know how to explain it to those who don't get it.

Negligence to me = the father knew the child was in the car and decided not to get him and the child cooked to death. Mistake = the father's conscious mind totally forgot the child was in the car and the child cooked to death. Even though the consequence for the child is the same, in one situation the consequence is forseeable and it the other situation it is not.

I recall those threads being pretty equally divided on the subject between those who thought such an occurrence was negligence and those who thought it was a terrible accident.
 
I can't say that won't happen SCM.
I can say that DA's are suppose to look at the intent factor when applying the law and prosecuting.

It is criminal to forget your child in a car.. Although not as criminal as the example you gave on page one .... doing it to go to the bar..

Let me give you this example, If I forget because I had a brainfart and run a red light or a stop sign ....
Its still a violation. Being a stressed out mom most of the time would not get someone out of the ticket.. If someone was harmed due to that action on my part? I would be charged with a more serious offense and should be.
On the same token if I forgot because I was drinking and driving I think the charges should be more severe.


My concern about this law is not really about those parents that will be made "criminals" mainly because as adults they really have the choice to made decisions to elliminate their stress. As parents it is their total obligation to protect their children and make choices to ensure that.
My concern is that more children will be harmed from this law then saved by it.
Parents who may not have left their children in their car may now justify themselves running into a convenience store or whatever because now the law says they can.
This law opens the door for child predators and tons of other scenarios.
 
How do you mistakenly forget your child is in the car with you?

I don't understand your stance re: this issue South, I really don't..

I'm going to jump in for SCM (If she'll forgive me) and say that I think the difference is intent. I'll go out on a limb and say that in the vast majority of the accidental cases, the person is doing something that is out of their normal routine; i.e., mom is sick or traveling for work, so dad is taking baby to daycare that day, which he doesn't normally do. His brain is on autopilot (have you really never done that?) and he completely forgets to take baby to daycare. Baby is asleep in the back of the car, often in a rearward facing carseat, and very quiet. Dad (or grandma or whomever) goes on about their day thinking all is well.

Now, we can all second guess that person or the other parent. We can say that there should be a system of calls and checks and whatever. But I don't call my children's school every morning to make sure they are really there. I cannot imagine the chaos if the school had to deal with that! I assume that the plans I have in place went smoothly. Heaven help me if they did not and the general public skewered me for not calling to check!

I think the example above is HUGELY different (as far as criminal charges go) than the countless examples we have of parents who choose to shop, drink, gamble, or sleep and deliberately leave a child or pet in a locked car, sometime for hours on end, because they can't be bothered. Yes, the outcome is the same.

But if you only based charges on the outcome, then the person who killed a family of four when their car skidded on an icy patch of road is just as guilty as the drunk driver who drove into oncoming traffic. And the parent whose child accidentally got into a visiting relatives medication should be charged the same as the one who deliberately poisoned her kids b/c her new boyfriend wasn't interested in being a parent. It just doesn't track. Intent matters.

I agree it is an infuriating thing to imagine someone forgetting their child. I think the ones who do it on purpose should be charged with much more than a misdemeanor, and DFCS should at least take a look in all of the cases to make sure everything is okay in the home. But intent does matter.

I'm going to mind my own business now! Sorry for interfering.
 
I know you don't, narla, but you're required to love me anyway! :)

I think we've been on specific threads together regarding this subject - the most recent one I recall was that father of four - 3 older children and an infant and he dropped the older children off at school and forgot about the baby, who wound up left in the car all day and dying.

There was not a single piece of me that felt like that father should be charged with a crime. I felt like it was a there but for the grace of God go I situation. As you know, I've never made a mistake of that magnitude and paid the ultimate price, but I can definitely "get" it. And I don't really know how to explain it to those who don't get it.

Negligence to me = the father knew the child was in the car and decided not to get him and the child cooked to death. Mistake = the father's conscious mind totally forgot the child was in the car and the child cooked to death. Even though the consequence for the child is the same, it one situation the consequence is forseeable and it the other situation it is not.

I recall those threads being pretty equally divided on the subject between those who thought such an occurrence was negligence and those who thought it was a terrible accident.

And you know I do :blowkiss:

His stupidness was punishment enough, I agree

Leaving your kid in the car whichever way you look at it till it cooks is forseeable!

But apparently people do, another sign of the times- people are too busy to think about their kids anymore, life is so pre occupying..
 

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