SF Weekly Letters

Hayward Family Court should also undergo investigation. Irregularities in the proceedings of the court and adverse party are common in this court. Abuse of discretion by which the mothers are prevented to have a fair trial is another common thing, not to talk about all the errors of law.

KnightofJustice
Web Comment

Where's the other side?: I am sorry to say I found the coverage one-sided and misinformed. Parental alienation is real, as are false charges of domestic violence. Failing to recognize these facts hurts all those who want to live peacefully with partners, ex-partners and children. The problem of domestic violence should not be ignored, but neither should the problems of dealing with it fairly.

Peter Logan
San Francisco

Peter Jamison Responds
Readers' response to "Illegal Guardians" has been energetic, and — as the letters above indicate — mixed. Much of it has ignored the premise and factual assertions of the article. While they are clearly presented in the story, I will restate them here.

In specific, documented cases, California's family courts have awarded child custody to parents criminally convicted of abusing their children or former spouses. In these cases, a common problem was evident: inadequate protocols for investigating accusations of abuse, or an unwillingness to investigate them at all. Such lapses reappear in family courts in different parts of the state.

Many readers have taken issue with my characterization of the disputed psychological theory positing the existence of "Parental Alienation Syndrome." This theory — invented by the late Richard Gardner, a psychiatrist who believed adult-child incest was normal and that American society punished pedophiles too harshly — asserts that allegations of child abuse, and specifically sexual molestation, are often false and made maliciously as a litigation tactic. In one of the four custody cases examined in "Illegal Guardians," this theory was invoked to discredit a mother's accusations against a man who was later convicted of sex crimes against children. In light of such an outcome, its use in the courtroom deserves scrutiny, and should be of concern to men and women alike.