Dependency Court Reform

In order to stop abuse and fraud in the dependency courts handling poor family children cases, the following measures are necessary:
(1) right to jury trial should be preserved;(2) court proceedings should be open to the public unless a parent requests confidentiality. (3) for a court to exercise jurisdiction, medical report should be mandatory to support an allegation of current or past physical abuse, psychologist's report of an allegedly abused child should be mandatory to support an allegation of current or past emotional abuse, and psychologist's report of a parent should be mandatory to support any allegation of "substantial risk" of abuse in the future. ("substantial risk", without expert report, becomes speculative and subjective. (4) a parent should have the right to request appointment of medical doctor or psychologist of his or her choice;  (5) Dependency court "disposition plan" has to state clearly what problems a parent or a child may have to address in the court ordered counseling.  The problems stated have to be supported by specific evidence in the minute order. Failure to sate clearly the problems to address or to state specific evidence in the minute order to support the counseling order will be deemed reversible error per se.  (6) Court of appeal cannot deny a parent's petition for writ summarily. Any denial has to be supported by detailed fact and law. On the other hand, granting a parent's petition can be done summarily.