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Just For A
Moment
One of the advantages to my job, or
disadvantages according to your perspective, is the
availability that I have to an endless number of
reports, surveys, and statistical documents
concerning criminal justice related topics that come
across my desk. Recently, during one of my
"sorting of the pile" episodes, one of
these reports caught my eye.
It was the 2002-year end report of the
Child Fatality Review Committee. It certainly was
not a very uplifting bit of paperwork, but it was
one that was chocked full of information. The Child
Fatality Review Committee is made up of law
enforcement, judicial, and social service
professionals who meet on a regular basis to examine
and evaluate the death of every child who lives in
our county. These evaluations are done on a child's
death that was caused by a criminal act or by means
of an accidental occurrence. The purpose of the
reviews are to determine if there was anything that
could have been done to prevent the child's death.
In the cases of accidental deaths, the reviews are
used to make recommendations as to how future
accidental deaths could be avoided. These review
panels are in place by law in every judicial circuit
in the state of Georgia and are reported to the
Georgia Child Fatality Review Panel.
As I reviewed their findings, my
attention was drawn to the accidental deaths more so
than the other categories. I was amazed at the
number of accidental drownings that have taken
place. Perhaps it is because warm weather and the
end of the school year is approaching us, but I
wondered how many more of these deaths would occur
this summer. In the year 2002, four children's lives
were lost due to drowning incidents. After further
review, two other drowning cases have already
occurred this year. While drowning is not a new
phenomenon, there seemed to be a common denominator
in all of these children. In each case, at the time
of the death, the victim was either not being
supervised at all or was being supervised by a young
sibling, friend, acquaintance, or another family
member. Perhaps we have all forgotten how quickly a
child can get in trouble by means of water. Some of
the drowning incidents occurred in bathtubs rather
than a swimming pool. Each case speaks of "just
a moment" that the child was not being watched.
Apparently that is all that it takes.
Other children lost their lives due to
motor vehicle accidents, all terrain vehicles, acts
of suicide and of course, when it comes to murder,
children are not exempt from that category either.
There were a few of those types of cases also. As I
continued to read the report, and as a parent
myself, I could not even imagine the loss that the
parents have felt due to the death of their
children. While some of the deaths that occurred
were absolutely at the hands of parents, most of the
cases did not fit into that category at all. Most of
these cases started out just like any other day,
with kids doing what kids do. Unfortunately, those
days ended with catastrophic results that changed
the lives of those parents and family members
forever.
"Just for a moment!" Those
words were almost haunting to me as I thought of the
times that "just for a moment" my
attention has been diverted away from my own child.
The report was a clear wake up call for me as to how
quickly our children's precious lives can be lost.
Not because of intent, not because of bad parents,
but because just for a minute, or two minutes, or
three, someone thought that it would be okay.
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