Messages By: supportmom

In a perfect world, all children would have the love and support of parents and grandparents. We know this doesn't happen.  I hope intervention works, but that depends on all people involved and their willingness to compromise and/or change. Everyone involved may have a valid point, and I trust Dr. Phil will bring that all out in the open. Then it will be up to everyone involved to cooperate (or not). If intervention does not work, there will be another child who will be affected by the adults in his/her life who could not find a way to reconcile their conflict(s), which would be sad.

This topic is very upsetting to me! I am a support person for my son who is in prison. He, too, was 17 when he was arrested. The police officers had interrogated my son twice, before he had a chance to talk to me or an attorney (during a time when he had been treated for shock!) When I finally got a chance to talk to my son, he was in a Youth Facility (for his own protection, I was told, and there had been no charges brought against him). I advised him not to answer any more questions until he had an attorney present. I was out of state, and before I got there on the airplane, he had been charged as an adult and incarcerated in the adult correctional facility. I believe when he told the police officers that his mom told him not to answer any more questions until he had an attorney present, they immediately went after a grand jury indightment. He had no attorney until after I arrived there. There is much more that I could tell you, about how the police tried to question me after arriving there. There was also more than one incident where I believed the police were trying to intimidate me, during the time I was there for my son's trial. Even though I know in my heart there are good cops and bad cops, it angers me greatly that there is this abuse of power. I have written Dr. Phil two letters requesting any help he can offer for my son - it isn't enough to  have an attorney - you have to have the best money can buy, and they have to believe in their client. My son had a public defender because I couldn't afford the best. This is like a nightmare that has never ended - we are still living it almost nine years later. I have often said that if I could sit on a jury, I would be the person who would hang the jury. I got that chance, only to realize that it makes me ill to sit in a court room. And to be honest, I cannot be impartial under the circumstances. It is not guilt or innocence that is proven in the court room, in my opinion, only who plays the best game. And when you put a 17 year old behind bars, especially one with no previous encounters with law enforcement, the judicial system or corrections, it is even more difficult for them to cope - they are caught up in 3 bureaucracies! I think it is very wrong for the police to interrogate a minor without an adult or attorney present acting in their best interests. I am happy that Dr. Phil is bringing this to the American public's attention. The problem is, no one really wants to believe things such as this until it happens to them or someone they love, and then it may be too late. Believe me, my son and I know all too well. I think it is very possible for a 17 year old to be coerced into a false confession by law enforcement officers.

I believe you missed part of the point - what happens if you get a police officer who goes over the line with interrogating a minor, for instance? You must have never had an encounter with someone in law enforcement who wants to show their power by bullying. Do you not believe that a law enforcement officer could bully someone who is innocent into confessing to a crime they did not commit? If you do not believe this is possible, then I guess you will just have to wait until you or someone you love has that experience. That is what I think is so sad about the whole situation - people refuse to believe it happens until they experience it for themselves.