According to this BBC news blurb, The Health Minister from Jersey (that's "old" Jersey) has stated that "if
parents neglected or exposed their children to harm, laws which already
exist should be enforced", stating further that the definition of
dysfunctional includes emotional abuse, and that he believes that a
strong and real threat of imprisonment would curb such behavior in
irresponsible, cruel, and neglectful parents.
I especially love this quote (and anything that includes the word "whilst"): "If a couple with young children, having received
extensive support from social services, the alcohol and drugs service
and very often the forbearance of the courts, are still discovered in a
drug-enforced stupor whilst children crawl on the floor amongst broken
bottles, rotting pizza boxes, cigarette ends and used heroin needles,
then imprisonment may be the necessary measure."
It's
about time somebody got serious about protecting the children.
Of course, the devil's advocate and the libertarian in me does worry
that this could be taken too far (think about California's "Three
Strikes" law), but on the whole? A step in the right direction.
