New Child Custody Bill Stands to Improve Safety Dramatically

Angel’s Law is a bill that purports to be common sense in a legal document.

The law, which came about after the tragic death of a 19-month-old boy, is specifically aimed at increasing safety for children in child custody arrangements.

Angel Rodriguez, who the bill is named after, was a 19-month-old boy who had been living in foster care for most of his short life. His mother eventually won full custody of him, only for the child to end up beaten to death shortly after coming home.

As it turns out, the prosecution ended up charging the mother’s boyfriend who, at the time of the mother winning custody, had a record of domestic abuse and violence.

Angel’s Law is a simple bill; it merely requires that the Department of Child Safety do background checks for all individuals living in a household, as well as boyfriends/girlfriends. If any evidence of past violent behavior or sexual assault is found, that information will need to be formally factored into the department’s decision as to whether to grant custody or not.

The bill has garnered a massive amount of support behind it. It practically flew through the House, was endorsed by Gov. Ducey, and is now awaiting a Senate vote.

In fact, the only concerns that have been raised seem to revolve around how easy it would be for investigators to specifically fish for incriminating evidence. The bill’s sponsor stated that all concerns would be addressed.

It is not for sure yet, but it is expected that this bill will become law sooner rather than later.

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/editorial/2015/03/19/angels-law-dcs-child-welfare/24993075/