March 20, 2006

Parents of Caged Kids Lose Permanent Custody

I've been following the story of the parents who kept their adopted kids in cages to "protect them" from their special needs conditions.

NORWALK, Ohio — A couple charged with abuse for forcing some of their 11 adopted children to sleep in cages were stripped of custody Monday, six months after a social worker discovered the enclosures.

Juvenile Judge Timothy Cardwell said there was a good chance Michael and Sharen Gravelle would mistreat the children again, citing a history of sexual abuse allegations against the father.

They, of course, will appeal the decision because they love their kids and truly do not feel that they abused them and that the cages were a good and necessary thing. I had hoped by now they realized they were in over their heads and the best thing for the kids would be to get them to families that can focus on fully addressing their conditions. Unfortunately that isn't the case. Hopefully the review of the appeal will yield the same common sense outcome, if nothing else for the sake of the kids.