Another civil rights lawsuit has emerged over privatized probation. The reporter is clear and succinct. Probationers are kept on perpetual probation to keep the fees flowing. Now they are clever enough to use names that sound like official government offices but they are all a human cash scheme.
In West Tennessee Judge Bell wa sanctioned for setting up his in-law (let’s see brother in law maybe) in the probate probation business and then putting more misdemeanants on probation.
Of course Judge Bell was also the one overseeing compliance with probation.
In Rutherford County Tenn a more egregious scheme was uncovered with Providence probation. Overcharging thousands of citizens without oversight.
The 2018 Tenn Comptrollers report is found here. Finding inadequate oversight, policies, and supervision:
I will supplement this report with some additional information later.
By Connie Reguli – Cancelled by the Establishment – Invested in Your Well-being. May 27, 2022.
Connie Reguli (right) woth amazing advocate Lauren from Maine. In Washington DC
I would say I operated different than most attorneys in family law … I cared what happened, I was concerned about children in Courtrooms, I advised my clients on the risk of being too emotional and on being unemotional, and at the end of the day I wanted what was ‘best for the children’. However, it is an oxymoron to speak about the best interests of the child in the adversarial family court realm.
I hear so many people say…my lawyer would not defend me…my lawyer would not put on my evidence…my lawyer did not care…my lawyer did nothing. I am not here to defend lackluster representation, but I am here to say blaming lawyer is not the solution. A recent United States Supreme Court decision, Shinn v Ramirez, the Supreme Court said yes it is the luck of the draw that you had not just one but two crappy attorneys, you cannot do a habeus corpus petition on ineffective assistance of counsel. Done ✅.
However, that is not the end of the story. Attorneys also have to work with the lump of clay called your life that you give them. In the context of family and parent-child relationships depending on the “right” attorney to make it right is an ad hominem argument.
From a lawyers view…people come to us with a mess that evolved out of the imperfections in our clients lives. They end up in the imperfect court system. Which is adversarial by design. It’s a war zone. The biggest weapons, and sometimes the best told lie wins. Lawyers only have so many tools and none of them are meant to resolve anything. Only possible result is win or lose. We can’t undo the clients history so it’s the best spin. And then of course it’s about money. Lawyers have so many expenses and so much risk that the costs are driven up. Part of the court game it wearing out the other side, emotionally or financially. They are paid to “do a job” they are paid to engage in a battlefield.
And clients are ill prepared. They don’t understand the system and judge have no patience for stumbling memories. Cross examination is intended to trip you up so a judge can call you a liar – they will use the judicial vernacular “lacks credibility” but all the same – they call you a liar. And in the world of court – the judge has the final say as to whether or not you are a liar.
I have to get you to turn your heads directly into this perverted and demonic snare.
The best I can I will help you resolve, negotiate, and move past the chaos or unfold the mysteries of litigation. If you rely on a fair and impartial judge who will render a decision on the best interest of your child you are waking blindly in a minefield.
I also intend to train an army of advocates to help.
You can contact me to consult on these issues. God bless.
February 12, 2021 – The below post was shared through social media and it is so true.
However, before reading the opinion of this wise 26 year old, let me flash back to my twenties and tell you what I saw in America. I was eight years old with President Kennedy was elected. Honestly, I was a child in Indiana which was historically conservative so Kennedy’s presidency was not our preference. But even at the young age, I remember the impact of world events at that time. I remember warnings of communism and bombings. We had bomb raids drills in our class that we had to crawl under our small desks (like that would stop a bomb). It was well known that Cuba had missiles pointed at our country. We also were families of a new prosperity. Washing machines, black and white TVs, telephones with party-lines, and two-door cars. We still hung our clothes on the line outside. We played in the dirt in the backyard. We only had cartoons on Saturday morning. We had four channels on television. And a Sears Roebuck catalog was the closest thing we got to long-distance shopping. I miss the 1950’s. By the 1960’s, riots started in the south and on college campuses. The Kent State riot occurred the year I was slated to go away to college and being from a small town in Indiana, I struggled with trepidation about being away from home. No doubt we are in a different world and I was so excited to see the post by Alyssa……….enjoy and share.
What a great perspective and well worth the read …..This article was written by a 26 yr old college student by the name of Alyssa, who’s in grad school for her MBA. “My Generation Is Blind to the Prosperity Around Us! I’m sitting in a small coffee shop near Nokomis (Florida) trying to think of what to write about. I scroll through my newsfeed on my phone looking at the latest headlines of presidential candidates calling for policies to “fix” the so-called injustices of capitalism. I put my phone down and continue to look around. I see people talking freely, working on their MacBook’s and ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me; we live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous Nation and we’ve become completely blind to it. Vehicles, food, technology, freedom to associate with whom we choose. These things are so ingrained in our American way of life we don’t give them a second thought. We are so well off here in the United States that our poverty line begins 31 times above the global average. Thirty One Times!!!Virtually no one in the United States is considered poor by global standards. Yet, in a time where we can order a product off Amazon with one click and have it at our doorstep the next day, we are unappreciative, unsatisfied, and ungrateful? Our unappreciation is evident as the popularity of Socialist policies among my generation continues to grow. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said to Newsweek talking about the millennial generation, “An entire generation which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America came of age and never saw American prosperity.” Never saw American prosperity?? Let that sink in. When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, that was quite literally the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I’ve ever heard in my 26 years on this earth. Many young people agree with her, which is entirely misguided. My generation is being indoctrinated by a mainstream narrative to actually believe we have never seen prosperity. I know this first hand, I went to college, let’s just say I didn’t have the popular opinion, but I disagree. Why then, with all of the overwhelming evidence around us, evidence that I can even see sitting at a coffee shop, do we not view this as prosperity? We have people who are dying to get into our country! People around the world destitute and truly impoverished. Yet, we have a young generation convinced they’ve never seen prosperity and, as a result, we elect some politicians who are dead set on taking steps towards abolishing Capitalism!!Why? The answer is this, my generation has only seen prosperity. We have no contrast! We didn’t live in the great depression or live through two World Wars, the Korean War, The Vietnam War and we didn’t see the rise and fall of Socialism and Communism. We don’t know what it’s like to live without the internet, without cars, without smartphones. We don’t have a prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it’s spreading like a plague.”
I am moved this Sunday morning to share with you segments of Pastor Johnson’s sermon on the tactics of the devil and the awesome power of Nehemiah.
Read Nehemiah 4 and you will learn of a powerful leader blessed and chosen to strengthen his people in desperate times.
First, you must understand fear. Fear interferes with the building of God’s kingdom. The Bible repeatedly says “fear not” and “fear the Lord” and “fear God”. For if you fail to follow your calling you will NOT receive the blessing. You will live in a state of confusion. Then the warriors in Christ must be gathered wherever they are to take up their shields and do whatever they can do to work on the wall which will shield and protect not just one person but a nation.
Second, you must keep your mind on Christ and know your identity and profess it. To feel the weight of the world of deception and do nothing is a waste of space. You have been promised by the blood of Christ that if two or three of you agree and bring it before God it shall be granted.
Third you must always standard prepared to face the enemy and pray that our leaders are guided by the Holy Spirit to bring redemptive solutions. Much evil is soon to be exposed and it will either drain your spirit or empower you to pick up your shield 🛡 and sword ⚔️ to restore this land. This Nation was created out of an idea 💡 of liberty and freedom. We can only keep our liberty if we are diligent.
Our money says In God We Trust. Our pledge says “one nation under God”. Our first president implored us to seek the will of God and then do it mightily.
In Nehemiah the enemy was disheartened when they realized that building the wall could only have been done with the strength of God Almighty. Now is the time for Nehemiah-leadership in this nation.
On July 21, 2020 the Second Circuit court ruled on a case out of New York which attempted to shut down a faith based adoption agency (New Hope Family Services) because they refused to consider same-sex couples. This is a win for faith based adoption agencies.
Last year in Pennsylvania, the state agency refused to send referrals for adoption to Catholic Charities because CC refused to consider same-sex couples. The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear this appeal out of Third Circuit and will likely do so this fall.
NEW YORK & SECOND CIRCUIT
In Second Circuit several civil rights organizations opposed the New Hope adoption agency by filing amici briefs such as the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
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Amicus Brief Cover
On reviews of the arguments, this organization claims that the regulation is First Amendment neutral and does not affect the autonomy of the church. However it claims that to allow the church relief is detrimental to the health and welfare of the LBGTQ population.
Issues summary Amicus Brief. T t
This issue is headed to the United States Supreme Court because of a Third Circuit decision out of a court in Pennsylvania.
PENNSYLVANIA AND THIRD CIRCUIT
BPNEWS reported – The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the intersection of religious liberty and same-sex marriage in foster care and adoption during its next term, which begins in October. The justices agreed in February to review a Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the city of Philadelphia did not violate religious freedom by halting referrals to Catholic Social Services because the agency does not place children in the homes of same-sex couples.
In layman’s terms, Catholic Charities lost. The state was allowed to refuse placements and referrals to CC due to their exclusion policy.
Over 200 (I stopped counting) persons and organizations of interest filed briefs and participated in the appeal. Several states including Texas, Illinois, Delaware, California, Oregon, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts Washington, and Rhode Island, also participated.
FEDERAL SOLUTION?
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) proposed a federal solution to the problem for faith-based agencies which is a priority in its legislative agenda. It has worked for adoption of the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, which would bar government discrimination against adoption agencies and other child welfare entities that refuse to take part in serving in a way that contradicts their beliefs.
TENNESSEE LEGISLATES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
In NASHVILLE (BP) — Tennessee state senators approved legislation Jan. 14 that would prohibit the state from forcing Christian or other faith-based adoption agencies to place children in homes that would “violate the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”Senate Bill 1304 passed the Senate by a margin of 20-6. Sen. Steve Dickerson of Nashville was the only Republican voting against the bill, joining the chamber’s five Democrats, according to an article in The Tennessean.
The bill will now go to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature, having passed the house last year by a 67-32 margin.
The bill was opposed by gay rights activist groups and those who felt the bill would have a negative impact on the state’s economy.
Dickerson, in speaking against the legislation, said passage of the bill could cause the state to suffer an adverse financial impact because of “bad public policy,” The Tennessean reported.
According to The Tennessean, eight states across the country have passed similar legislation. The paper also reported it had contacted the governor’s office and received confirmation the governor “would be signing the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.”
WHERE WILL THIS GO?
This ruling by the United States Supreme Court will be precedental. In 2015 the Supreme Court ruled on Oberfell v Hodges which found that the states could not prohibit same-sex marriage. It found that the right to marry was a fundamental liberty and the states could not prohibit marriage based on the gender of the couple.
The adoption issue raises another fundamental liberty issue and it is likely that that the LBGTQ community will claim that the right to parent is a fundamental liberty. However there is no fundamental liberty to adopt.
What is disturbing to me is that the rights of children are not represented here. We already have children removed from heterosexual families and placed in LBGTQ homes for foster to adopt. Do the children have a fundamental liberty to not be placed in this unit? What is the next extension? Will the state welfare agencies accept transgenders as fosters?
We are on a slippery slope. Our national laws regarding relations, family, and marriage are complicated and distorted. A century ago sexual deviation was criminal. It was even illegal to live with or marry your paramour if you cheated during your marriage with that person. Now it is common. As a divorce attorney I saw it all the time.
We have much to do as a nation in this area. Pray for wisdom and pray for our country.
June 27, 2020 – Call to Congressional members and Senators on Trump Executive Order for child welfare reform.
Good morning/afternoon – my name is ____________ and I am calling as a concerned citizen from your district on the recent Trump Executive order on child welfare reform. Who am I talking to? _________ I would like to speak to the person in the office that covers foster care / child welfare / or family issues, is that possible? ___________ (if yes, transfer to that person; if no/ give message to the person answering the phone/ if there is no such person / give message to the personal answering the phone).
Trump’s executive order signed on JUNE 24, 2020 on child welfare reform states that “The best foster care system is one that is not needed in the first place.” And this order seeks to demand more data from the states on the use of federal funds under Title IV E. We want to say that this is not enough. Positive results and family stability must be tied directly to federal funding and the perverse financial incentives must end immediately. The Adoption bonus money under the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 must be banned as a crime against humanity. It provides for bonus checks to be issued to the states when they adopt out children into the homes of strangers instead of keeping the child in their family of origin. This subverts the stated mission of both parties that focus on prevention strategies that keep children safe while strengthening families so that children do not enter foster care unnecessarily. The Family Forward Project is over 14,000 members and we are dedicated to child welfare reform.
2019 – Connie Reguli – Washington D.C. Parent Advocacy
FFP ADVOCACY GUIDELINES:
BOUNDARIES
Not a source of financial or legal support. No exchange of money, no invitation into personal home unless boundaries agreed upon
Advocate is not an attorney or mental health professional. In the event a mental health emergency arises, professionals should be contacted. In the event a legal question arises, it can be discussed and documented but should be referred to counsel.
Advocate is not a substance abuse specialist. In the event, addictive behaviors, drug use, or other drug involvement becomes an issues beyond common support and encouragement, professionals should be engaged.
The relationship is confidential and should not be discussed outside of the relationship except with permission of counsel and the parent. Advocate can disclose information to parent’s counsel if approved by FFP administrator.
SUPPORT / ENCOURAGE / ACCOUNTABILITY
Biggest factor is support and encouragement in the process and in the absence of children.
Accountability is to help the parents track their progress. Classes, evaluations, court preparation, etc.
Parenting writing letters to children. Keep them simple and encouraging.
Help parents prepare for visitation emotionally.
Help parents stay focused on the resolution of the case.
Helping parents understand their relationship with other providers. Courteous but not trusting.
DOCUMENTATION
Help parents create and keep timelines.
Help parents identify and list all resources needed to court, records, witnesses, keeping provider evals and reports, keeping up with classes, evals and other requirements.
Recording, obtaining court recordings, organizing and storing data, etc to assist attorney for trial.
File folders for DCS, perm plans, foster care review, court docs, subpoenas, notes, calendars, classes, income and housing, etc.
CEASE AT ANY TIME
At any time the advocate or parent feels that the relationship is not assisting them, they may terminate the relationship without question.
At any time the advocate feels that they are unproductive, abused, or taken advantage of by the parent they can stop with no questions asked.
Any notes taken by the advocate are strictly confidential and upon the termination of the relationship the notes should be turned over to the parents, Family Forward administrator, or destroyed.
COMPENSATION
Advocates are not paid and are providing their time and support without compensation. If the parent or someone in behalf of the parent wishes to provide some compensation to the advocate it should only be with the approval of FFP administrator.
Likewise, the parent is not to request or receive compensation from the advocate without approval of FFP. This does not include token appreciation or support, but any such exchange must be documented and logged in case this exchange is later questioned.
Gifts for the children are discouraged but not forbidden if they are small token gifts or activities provided to the parents to encourage the relationship such as games, activities, crafts, cuddlies.
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES
FFP is not a religious organization. Any activities such as Bible studies, prayer, or scripture reading shall be with the consent of both parties. At any time, if the parent or advocate deems this inappropriate it should be ceased.
In this case a minor child sued for wrongful removal and violation of substantive due Process rights.
One of the most difficult aspects of a civil rights case is overcoming immunity. In this case the social workers and law enforcement officers claimed qualified immunity for violating the child’s (fourth amendment rights) and substantive due process rights of familial integrity when the child was removed from school for a forensic interview and told by the law enforcement officer that they were going to find him a better home.
In this appeal the tenth circuit court said that the case could proceed on violations of fourth amendment violations. However the court dismissed the claims for substantive due process rights stating that it was not “clearly established” that the child had the right of family integrity in this situation, that is, the fact that the officials impugned his father and damaged his relationship with him was not enough.
Note – analysis of substantive due process – the courts consideration of (1) a fundamental liberty interest vs (2) shock the conscious conduct by state actors.
Good analysis of the reasonableness standard in a claim for fourth amendment violations.
Note. The child was not removed from his home and the Interview revealed no disclosures of abuse.
Here are some excerpts:
The court compares fundamental right to the shocks the conscience standard. –
What is conscious shocking conduct?
Court says that they have implicitly used that standard before.
What you must show for violations of the substantive due process violations of family integrity.
In this case a minor child sued for wrongful removal and violation of substantive due Process rights.
Child Welfare and Family Law and Reform 