Child Custody Laws Ignored in Texas
Written by Staff Writer on September 18, 2018
Child custody laws and the lack of enforcement are issues gaining momentum in the Lone Star State as it is reported that law enforcement fails to take action when called upon to assist while interfering is considered a state felony punishable by up to two years in prison. Under Texas Penal Code 25.03, “interference with child custody is when someone takes or retains a child when that person knows that the taking or retention of the child violates a judgment or court order.”
The denial of parental visitations is known as a form of Hostile Aggressive Parenting, HAP, which may lead to the damaging effects on the children caused by Parental Alienation Syndrome or PAS. Although HAP and PAS are often confused, HAP refers to the behaviors, actions and decisions of a person, whereas, PAS relates to the psychological condition of the child. In most cases HAP is the cause of PAS.
“Hostile-Aggressive Parenting is considered by many health care and legal experts unhealthy, anti-social, abusive behavior which is emotionally damaging and contrary to the best interest of a child. It is a serious form of child maltreatment and abuse, and is encountered in most high conflict child-custody disputes and is often used as a tool to align the child against another parent.”
Simply stated, it is dysfunctional parenting, and constitutes “emotional child abuse and a basic form of discrimination.” Any parent being denied Child Custody visitation may be the target of Hostile-Aggressive Parenting, and should report it to law enforcement immediately.
In a 2014 news report on KFOX14 Bill Melugin of El Paso, Texas received a tip and exposed the lack of law enforcement, “the crime was not being enforced, and that El Paso law enforcement has an unwritten policy to not make arrests or charge persons with the crime of interference with child custody.”
Over the past several decades, father involvement in the United States has increased dramatically. The rise in paternal involvement has been accompanied by an evolving notion of fatherhood, as old conceptions of the father as “distant breadwinner” or male “role model” have given way to a more holistic rendering of the father as an “equal co-parent.”
“Many men, women and a large number of returning military veterans are becoming parents in particularly disadvantageous situations – they may be young, and unmarried, they face a multitude of barriers to being the mother or father they want to be, from poor employment prospects, high incarceration rates, to juggling multiple parenting roles amongst their children.”
“Military City USA,” state and local lawmakers, as well as law enforcement officials are encouraged to tune-in for the News 4 WOAI Troubleshooters exposé this week on this ongoing and devastating family problem.
To read the full articles on this issue go to: https://childandfamilyresearch.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/CFRPReport_R0140517_FatherhoodEFFECT.pdf
