Plan B Forum

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:08 am**

Shocking video, not not watch if easily upset.

2004: Aransas County Court-At-Law Judge William Adams took a belt to his own teenage daughter as punishment for using the internet to acquire music and games that were unavailable for legal purchase at the time. She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views. The judge's wife was emotionally abused herself and was severely manipulated into assisting the beating and should not be blamed for any content in this video. The judge's wife has since left the marriage due to the abuse, which continues to this day, and has sincerely apologized and repented for her part and for allowing such a thing, long before this video was even revealed to exist. Judge William Adams is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgement as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again. His "judgement" is a giant farce. Signed, Hillary Adams, his daughter.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:14 am**

"Texas Justice"?

I read about this sonofabitch earlier today, I did not view the video.

He has to live with himself, absent from his daughter's love and respect.

Perhaps scorned by all.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:57 am**

Scene from my childhood, minus the mother's swearing. My mother was a lady. My father would have been adding in some choice phrases such as 'you're a worthless piece of shit who'll never amount to anything.' I got a belt whipping like that at age 4 or 5 for lying to my father. I lied about eating peanuts he'd put out for the squirrels. Supposedly they were going rancid so he was concerned - that was my mother's explanation. Truth was he was a control freak who became enraged at my lying to him. And I was actually quite adorable at that age.

The odd thing is that my siblings and I, who all endured that kind of rage and punishment on a regular basis growing up, have all turned out to be very productive citizens with no criminal records of any kind (minus traffic tickets). We are all conscientious hard workers with solid values. We have issues for sure; I'm VERY self-critical and have struggled with guilt and apprehension over major life decisions and sometimes even over relatively small ones.

But then, I know folks who grew up in violence-free homes and have just as many issues. I also know folks who grew up in homes where there was little discipline and they consequently got into a lot of trouble. Some kids from very strict homes do, too.

Parenting is a bit of a crap shoot, huh?

I don't condone the length of 'beating' that took place in that video and it clearly involved the father losing his temper. However, I know MANY people who grew up getting the belt and don't consider their parents abusive. The belt on legs or bottom stings like a bitch, but doesn't injure. Many parents from my generation used it. Getting belt whipped bothered me lots less than the cruel things my father said to us. And I would rather have gotten some belt whippings as a kid than to end up in juvie or as an adult in the criminal system.

If I had my own child I'd settle for spanking when necessary. I don't believe that 'time out' always suffices.

Flame away, I guess.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 2:07 am**

Well, of course it's the psychological that hurts worse, and does more damage than the physical. Control freaking does no good, but to the control freak.

While violence free - shouldn't mean discipline free that's another form pysch-warping.

Over permissive parenting, doesn't guide kids, just spoils them

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 2:51 am**

bigskygal wrote:
I don't condone the length of 'beating' that took place in that video and it clearly involved the father losing his temper.

Seeing as the kid has cerebral palsy, and the Judge pontificates on family welfare cases, I think its way out of order.

She wrote this afternoon: 'I'm feeling some regret for publishing the video because to ruin my own father is heavy indeed. But I really want him to seek help.'

Miss Adams, spoke to a local TV network by phone earlier today, said she is safe, and decided now was the time because she was tired of being harassed by her father.
She said: 'My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for seven years.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1cbgnvNip

JUDGE ADAMS: 'A CHILD'S TESTIMONY SHOULD BE IGNORED'
The video footage of Judge William Adams physically abusing his daughter has brought under scrutiny child protection cases he has worked on in the past.

Witnesses who attended a courtroom trial of Judge Adams on October 11 last year claimed that the judge agreed with a lawyer who had argued that 'a child's statements amounted to no evidence' and they are 'fantasizers'.

The case involved the custody of a six-year-old child who is said to have suffered 'horrific abuse'.

According to the blog, A Child's Voice, despite the child's statements being confirmed by independent third party witnesses and the young person being interviewed by a child psychologist, Judge Adams concluded that children's testimony should be ignored.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1cbh2slTX

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 5:01 pm**

I was kind of expecting more response and/or debate on this thread. So, having read the articles online, I wanted to pose a few issues for debate.

People are outraged at the 'beating' and demanding the Judge be taken from the bench and thrown in prison. However, many states allow corporal punishment of children, absent serious bodily injury. The belt as he and his wife are using it doesn't cause serious bodily injury. It causes, at most, a welt that disappears within hours or a day or two at most. Serious bodily injury is specifically defined under law. (eta: It's interesting that everyone forgives the mother, as she's claimed she was 'brainwashed'. I find it troubling that a parent who stands by and watches his/her children 'abused' gets an outright pass from so many on that neglect.)

Does anybody else have thoughts to share with regard to corporal punishment as a tool of parenting? I'm curious, because as I said, I know folks who were raised getting the belt, or the yardstick, or the wooden spoon - I know also that permissive parenting is becoming far more widespread at present. Just curious if others have thoughts to share. Some people feel corporal punishment is in itself abuse; others feel that when utiltized without anger or psychological abuse, it's an effective parenting tool.

Finally, yes this young lady has cerebral palsy, but she's not confined to a wheelchair or disabled to any great extent. Disability rights folks are always seeking to have the disabled treated the same as the non-disabled, wherever possible. If the practice in this family is that when you break the rules you get the belt, should it be different for one child who has some measure of disability than it is for another who does not, so long as the disability is not the underlying cause of the misbehavior? (Of course one shouldn't punish a child for behavior that can't be controlled resulting from a physical disability.)

This thread could be fertile ground for debate and because I work in dependency/neglect, I have a great interest in these issues. It's interesting to me the range of parenting that some see as acceptable while others see the same parenting as abusive/neglectful.

Maybe nobody here really wants to discuss these issues, but I thought I'd give it a bump and see.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 5:38 pm**

Regardless of where you come out on corporal punishment, this guy was out of control. And where corporal punishment is used, it should always be done under control.

Interesting that this video seems to have been made by the girl. Wonder if she figured out how to push her dad's anger buttons to get this result. No excuse for him, but it says a lot about the dynamic that she set up this scenario.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:19 pm**

At some time or other, most Latino kids get 'beatin into shape' usually at about that age, for getting too defiant. However, that's an extreme event, and my Dad always used to say, 'This hurts me, more than it hurts you.' When we were younger, just brandishing 'the board' was the most often used form of discipline. If he did whack us, it was usually only one or two blows.

In the case of this family it sounds like this type of punishment being meted out, wasn't an isolated event, and over-the-top considering the small mistake the girl made.
At a certain point, it really seems like the judge liked wielding his power, rather than he trying to be a good parent.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:43 pm**

I am admittedly playing devil's advocate here, but . . .

Small mistake? From what I understand, she was downloading music unlawfully (as well as using the family computer without permission). A sitting judge might tend to consider his teenager engaged in theft to be a rather serious business. I know some people think all that Napster 'free'-music-sharing was no big deal, but it was, in fact, criminal.

And yes, most parents utilize such punishment, as it was often utilized in their childhoods, to teach a lesson that won't soon be forgotten in regard to something they think is very important. Most parents who utilize corporal punishment don't take pleasure in meting it out - that's the hope, in any case.

Again, I find it interesting that folks online are responding to this story and calling it a 'horrific beating' - I did a research paper on child abuse way back in HS and I've seen pictures of the aftermath of horrific beatings then, and now in my dependency/neglect cases.

Getting the strap is not generally anywhere in the realm of 'horrific', nor a 'beating'. My dad used to just snap his belt when I and my siblings were at each other or misbehaving, and we would real quick listen and modify our behavior. I could probably count on both hands the number of times in childhood I actually got the strap, instead of the threat of it.

Given that this girl was secretly and intentionally filming this episode, I do have to wonder at the level of histrionics in which she's engaging and whether she's purposefully avoiding what would be the few straps in order to anger her father into giving more.

Again, I don't like his swearing at her, and his anger. But it's interesting that mom seems an enthusiastic participant and now claims brainwashing.

And do judges bring their own perspectives on parenting and child-rearing to the bench? Well, of course they do. Are those perspectives always wrong if the judge is him/herself a strict parent? Not necessarily.

I could not take any position with regard to the briefly described sitution in the DM article about this Judge's ruling that a child's testimony wasn't credible, though supported by a 3rd party. Why? Because I've seen dozens and dozens of family law cases, and it's very possible that on the other side of that case were other 3rd parties calling that child's testimony seriously into question. I have seen people falsely accused of molestation by children with 3rd party witnesses claiming the child's testimony is credible, when in fact it wasn't. The evils that take place in family law litigation often surpass what I see in criminal law, when you consider that the ultimate victim is always the child(ren).

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:10 pm**

Well, small in comparison to joining a gang; getting high and robbing homes/stealing cars, etc.

When I had Protech, my foster son here, he was caught stealing the hood ornaments off a number of cars. Just the property damage alone, made it nearly a felony offense. He wasn't hit for that; we figured getting arrested and going through the system would teach him enough. So far as I know, he never stole again.
Not to say, I was such a great parent either, other factors came into play, like the divorce... but, he did do a lot of community service.
My discipline meant I wouldn't excessively punish him, but instead I wanted him to try to make up for what he'd done. He broke a window; he paid or fixed it.
He threatened a neighbor's pet; and he had to apologize to the neighbors.

In the end, he 'played the parents' and went to live with his bio-mom, who let him get away with more; but while he was here, he didn't get into any more trouble as bad the vandalism.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:37 pm**

I can't see the video, but have heard the audio on the radio. the guy definately seems out of control.

I was spanked when I was little and it worked, I never got into trouble after about 4th grade. To some degree I was smart enough to not get caught. But I'm not sure how well a spanking works on teenagers.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:47 pm**

I think he crossed the line into ABH. No parent should discipline a child in that way. A slap on the backside with an open hand for a small child who cannot be reasoned with, maybe. But to take a belt to a disabled teenager for that period of time?

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:47 pm**

"Horrific" abuse? Certainly not in comparison to a lot of what I used to see in child welfare (which I still have nightmares about). But did he cross a line between discipline and abuse? Not a question in my mind that he did, and if this video had come into my possession that girl would have been removed and her father would have been in cuffs. There are times when he is being completely indiscriminate about where he is striking her with that belt (although I will give him credit for never allowing her to get struck with the buckle, as so many parents who overdo it with a belt often do). And even just to threaten to use it across her face...

As to whether she is purposefully avoiding her father's instructions so as to provoke him more, it goes against every human survival instinct to make oneself vulnerable to a shower of blows. Especially after he had hit her a few times, she probably wouldn't have been capable of obeying his command to bend over the bed; her body would have instinctively tried to minimize the area vulnerable to blows. And ignoring the screams at the moments she is struck, the level of fear in her voice is at its greatest when her father is talking/yelling at her, rather than when he is hitting her, which is to be expected. She may have intentionally recorded the episode when she knew she was going to be beaten, but her reactions are not staged.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:02 pm**

You have a certainty I no longer allow myself the benefit of, Scooter. I've heard some incredibly realistic recorded performances that were, in fact, staged.

At the end of the video the girl walks away from the bed, crying totally stopped, apparently uninjured - at least as discernible from how she's walking. If she was badly bruised and/or welted, I can't imagine why she didn't tape that evidence?

I've taken a strapping like that without uttering a whimper, and have seen my three siblings do the same. It's absolutely not physically impossible to bend over and be still while taking blows to the body - children throughout history have been so subject to the belt, the paddle, the yardstick, the spoon, etc. Not taking the punishment as deserved was grounds for extra licks.

The hysterical screaming and crying makes the video all that more provoking, and as Long Run and I have observed, given that the video was staged by the girl, of course it raises questions.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:13 pm**

The daughter of a US family law judge who secretly caught him on video beating her as a teenager in a row over a computer game says corporal punishment was a regular feature in her home.

The video of William Adams - who presides over child abuse cases - whipping Hillary Adams, now 23, with a belt at least 17 times and shouting abuse at her in 2004 has gone viral on the internet since she posted it online last week.

"It did happen regularly for a period of time, and I could tell because of the pattern that things were escalating again," Adams told the NBC news show Today.

"So I set up my video camera on the dresser and covered the little red light with a scarf. About half an hour after I set the camera up this happened, and it was amazing that I was able to capture such a thing."

The video has touched off a public outcry in the United States, where corporal punishment - outlawed in much of Europe - is legal within homes in all 50 states.

Explaining why she let seven years pass before going public with the video, Hillary Adams told Today: "Waiting until today ... has enabled me to pull away and be able to distance myself from the consequences."

Of her father, she added: "I think he's been punished enough just by seeing this go public like this and I think he really needs help and rehabilitation. We need to get him counselling or something."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/beatings-re ... z1cgPfTLmA

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:25 pm**

I don't know that she was badly bruised or welted, and given the totality of what I saw, it doesn't much matter to me. I made the judgment I did based on the father's actions, which were completely out of control, and not on their effects.

And if all we heard was histrionic screaming when she was being hit, I would not have come to the conclusion that her reactions were not staged. I am more interested in how she reacted in between the blows. A teenager who was acting would not know enough to exude more fear at hearing her father's voice than at being hit. She is clearly terrified of him.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:30 pm**

Oh, I hadn't realized that she had waited 7 years before releasing the video. In that case I re-affirm my assessment. No one goes to the trouble of staging a scene like this only to bury it for years. If it was staged, it was staged for a purpose, and waiting for 7 years to exact some sort of public humiliation revenge makes no sense for someone willing to go to those lengths.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:31 pm**

That's the same thing you've already posted, Gob.

I'm curious as to the point you're looking to make. It would be interesting to hear it in your own words.

I'm getting the sense that we probably don't entirely agree on this issue.

As I've already said, I personally would not go beyond using my hand to spank my own child, and I don't think the yelling and swearing is appropriate - although I know many good parents who do on occasion yell and swear at their children, especially when those teenagers have pushed them to the limit. No parent is perfect.

The judge looks like an asshole in this video, sure, but it doesn't appear to depict child abuse. Your article talks about the statute of limitations having run - but I can tell you that it's not likely any prosecutor would have filed against this guy the next week, whether he was a judge or a gas station attendant. Corporal punishment is legal in all 50 states, absent serious injury to the child.

from Section 45-2-101, Montana Code Annotated:

(66) (a) "Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury that:
(i) creates a substantial risk of death;
(ii) causes serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function or process of a bodily member or organ; or
(iii) at the time of the injury, can reasonably be expected to result in serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of process of a bodily member or organ.

Why wouldn't a prosecutor file? Because of a lack of injury - the element of the 'crime' isn't met.

Beyond that, getting 12 people on a jury who would all be so outraged to consider that video to depict abuse would be a stretch - because many of them would have been raised the same way, and love their parents, and don't believe that type of punishment did anything other than to guide them into successful, law-abiding adulthood.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:39 pm**

No child, nor woman, should be treated like that by a parent. If there is no physical risk to the child, why would such a battering be needed?

He crossed WAY over the line, and achieved ...what....

Why scream and swear at her? Is this really a good way to teach a child right from wrong? No.

Personally I'd like to give him some of his own medicine, but he'd probably get an erection if I did.

Posted: **Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:44 pm**

Scooter, it's obviously not staged in the respect that it was an actual event and an actual punishment that occurred - she deliberately set up her camera to capture it, however, and that certainly indicates some intent on her part.

As to your observations about her histrionics and the quality of them - well, I don't know how much time you spend around kids, or teenaged girls for that matter. I don't want to be judgmental - no pun intended. But I've seen some amazing lungful histrionics over far less.

And of course she is screaming and crying not just when getting the belt. She's mad at him, he's mad at her, she doesn't want to be punished, etc. All of that screaming dynamic is evidence of nothing. Anybody who has spent any time in any kind of imperfect family (kudos to all of you whose familes are Norman Rockwell) has heard as much.

Show me serious bodily injury. Show me neglect. Absent that, it's not child abuse. It's a parenting style you don't agree with.

As I said earlier, I've observed that permissive parenting is more and more becoming a 'norm'. From that we get shows like Nanny 911 and SuperNanny. And don't get me started on the stuff I'm seeing in Youth Court.

I'd far rather see children removed from drug-addicted parents who can't remember to feed them than from an overly strict parent.

Plan B Forum

Family Judge

Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge

Re: Family Judge