What do you think Madelyne Toogood, the woman who was caught on camera beating her child, should get for a punishment?
Do you think she should get therapy, probation and/or classes on anger management and parenting, or do you think she should get jail time and/or the permanent suspension of her parental rights?
Here is the article for those unfamiliar with the case:
Mother arraigned in video beating; lawyer says she will probably plead for mercy
Mon Sep 23, 5:02 PM ET
By TOM COYNE, Associated Press Writer
SOUTH BEND, Indiana - A woman caught on videotape allegedly beating her 4-year-old daughter in a department store parking lot will probably plead guilty, her lawyer said Monday.
Madelyne Gorman Toogood, 25, was arraigned on a felony charge of battery to a child, and a magistrate entered an innocent plea on her behalf.
Her attorney, Steven Rosen, said there was no point in trying to challenge the surveillance videotape in court.
`I don`t think there`s anything, any expert of any degree in any type of credibility that can do anything about that tape. It is what it is,` he said.
`We will probably enter a guilty plea and throw ourselves on the mercy of the court,` he said after the arraignment.
Earlier Monday, a Probate Court judge ordered that Toogood`s daughter, Martha, remain in foster care and gave child-protection officials two weeks to recommend who should care for the girl. Her two other children are staying with family.
If convicted, Toogood could get up to three years in prison. She faces a hearing on Oct. 7.
The mother of three had no comment as she left court. She remained free on $5,000 bail.
`People might think I`m a monster, but I`ve been a mother for six years, and no harm has come to my children before this, never,` Toogood told CNN earlier Monday. `I`m sorry. That`s all I can say.`
A doctor examined the girl and found no medical problems and no long-term signs of abuse, authorities said.
Toogood told reporters Sunday she hit her daughter in the head and back and pulled her hair but did not punch her. On the video of
She should get her kids taken away and put in jail for awhile. Then, therapy. Then I still don't think she should get her kids back. That was amazing to see a woman beat her own child like that. She looked around before she did it. Pathetic loser of a mom she is.
I don't think she hurt the kid, it was a little shocking because she was so animated and the kid was out of sight. I doubt any of the blows did damage.
My Mother used to work hard trying to spank us kids but she hit like a girl. She quit spanking us when we started laughing during the spankings. Maybe Madelyne was embarrased because her kid was laughing at her spankings.
Another development - she can get her daughter back after she goes through parenting classes:
Article
I think she needs a lot more than parenting classes, this lady is a nightmare :P
It amazes me that some peopele actually think she doesn't deserve punishment just because the child wasn't "physically damaged". She's sick. And you're sick if you think that.
depends what the kid did to get hit - did the kid try to run away beforehand? Did the kid nearly get knocked down?
It is better to treat a kid in the Pavlov/Skinner method when they are young, as they don't understand the concept of right and wrong at that age.
wow, are we all really this uptight about smacking kids. I know I could smacked pretty hard a s a kid but I don't think my mum would've been sent to jail. Heck, she didn't even use a belt or a slipper or anything
I say that she should get a medal! I hate all of this 'new age' crap that says that if you do spare the rod then you DON'T spoil the child. All that you have to do so that you kid doesn't misbehave is to pump him/her full of drugs. In my opinion, that is the WORST thing that you can do to a kid. They can't function nomally in society when they grow up. I got spanked as a kid when I did something wrong, and I plan on doing the same to my kids, if I ever have any. not only did I turn out NORMAL, but so have BILLIONS of other people in this world that DO advocate spankings. Oh, and yes, there have been plenty of others that haven't become normal and turned into psychos as well as those that NOT gotten spanked and still truned into psychos. Its all in the person what you become. All that your parents can do is to do their best, that's it.
I think that this woman is completely demented. Beating a child is absolutly unexcusable, and I'm pretty sure that she wasn't just "spanking" the child. How, exactly, do you spank with a closed fist, myrdraal? Also, so if the 'new age' says not to hit your kids, do you live in the "good 'ol days" where it's okay to beat people? There's a difference between disciplining a child and senseless violence, and it was pretty obvious here. Where are you going to go next? Are you going to whine about this 'new age crap' of men not being able to give their wives a beating? With any luck, people will come to their senses and stop thinking like you.
My parents used to spank me whenever I was a child, and I grew up to be very well mannered. There is a difference between proper spanking and beating. You don't pound on a four year old! They can't comprehend what they did wrong, and the only thing they will remember is getting beat up. Spanking goes hand in hand with explaining what they did wrong, and why you're angry.
Myrdrall there is a HUGE difference in spanking your kids and doing what she did. She put her daughter in the car seat, looked around the parking lot to see if anyone was looking, then punched her daughter repeatedly and shook her. That's A LOT different then giving a kid a swat on the butt for misbehaving.
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