Welcome back and thanks for joining us for the wrap up of this discussion on rare medical conditions and how they can sometimes be mistaken for child abuse. So far in the series we’ve talked about the experts involved in testifying for you when CPS falsely accuses you of child abuse, and the kinds of diseases and conditions that often get mistaken for child abuse. But moving forward, we’d like to wrap this up with a quick look at wrongful convictions in child abuse cases.
Wrongful convictions happen more often that you’d think!
As the National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center points out on their website, this is a real issue. “The National Innocence Project has exonerated, based upon DNA evidence, hundreds of persons who were convicted of atrocious crimes including capital murder and/or rape. Considering that most cases of child abuse do not involve DNA evidence, one can only guess at the number of people in prison that are innocent. The fact that a person has been accused or charged and, possibly, convicted of the crime does not mean that they were guilty of the crime.”
So how does it happen? How do innocent caregivers and family members get accused of doing such terrible things to the children they love? It’s simple: no one wants a child abuser to go unpunished. So for fear of letting a guilty person go free, we persecute innocent people just in case they’re guilty! Because erring on the side of caution is the safest way, right? Wrong! Not when it’s people’s lives we’re talking about!
Fear, and failure to examine ALL of the evidence, is the issue!
In addition to the fear of letting “bad” people go unpunished, there’s also the issue of doctors and police officers refusing to search for evidence beyond what they believe is the “easy answer.” In most child abuse cases, there’s rarely a search for an “equally competing hypothesis” for what may have caused the child’s injuries.
In most cases, when a child is brought to the hospital, or discovered by law enforcement, with injuries, it’s automatically assumed that the injuries weren’t accidental. Which means they must have been inflicted by someone. And because investigation can often reveal who the child has been with recently, the allegations simply get pinned on that person. Which means some innocent parent or caregiver is about to be accused of one of the worst crimes!
Make sure you get help from the best!
Here at The Kronzek Firm, we’ve spent decades helping the families of Michigan protect themselves and their children against CPS. We’ve had countless successful outcomes over the years, reuniting families and fighting for parent’s rights both in and out of court. So if you or a loved one have been accused of child abuse or neglect, call us today at 866 766 5245 and make sure you have the help you need! Our skilled and experienced CPS defense attorneys are standing by, 24/7, to help you defend yourself and your family.