A PIECE OF SHIT

I have a co-worker who spent most of his career investigating child abuse allegations. He thought he had met the lowest of the low while doing that. One would think that was true, until you come to work in our office.

My co-worker is burned out on his job. But he continues to push forward because our society is sick. He has discovered that the children who experienced abuse and neglect, who he supposedly rescued from such maltreatment were not always sent to safe places of refuge.  He made a comment to me one day. He said, "I thought the families I removed these kids from were bad, but they are nothing compared to some of the people I sent them to!"

You see he never realized this. But in his current position, he investigates allegations of abuse or neglect toward what the state calls a "related party." A related party means that the person being accused is either employed by the State or works for an entity that has a contract to provide services for the State. It turns out that people in general are sick. And you can't tell who they are. My co-worker continued his train of thought by stating that he never would have known how truly ill society was if he hadn't come to our office. That is very sad.

Today, I received a request for records by a woman in her forties. She USED to work for a residential facility within the state. The type of client that was served in this facility generally had some issues that are not accepted in society. Such as being sexually promiscuous with siblings.  Or neighbor boys. Or both. Or a multitude of other opportunities that come along.

Normally I TRY not to allow these cases to get to me. However, I occasionally come across some that just piss me off. This forty something woman was one of them.

Included in the request was a photo ID, which is required so we are assured that the person seeking the records has the right to see the records. In this case, since she was the subject of the record, she has the right to see the investigation. Why the hell does she need it? She voluntarily informed her boss of her own behavior which resulted in her firing.  That was a smart decision.

This woman in her forties spent a couple of months flirting with a sixteen year old boy placed in the residential center by his foster care worker. The boy's adoptive family had problems with him which resulted in his situation. Enough said about that, and that is bad enough. But when he is placed in the facility--why would anyone assume an employee has issues of her own!!

The woman prepped and groomed this young man until he responded to her overt requests. Within weeks, the woman reported her behavior to her supervisor. Within moments, the therapist of the young man had the story verified.

Why am I so pissed? I see this on a daily basis. As identified above, it is what my office is responsible for investigating. It falls distinctly on my shoulders to read all the records and redact portions that the requester does not have the right to know. That means I become one of the few within the state who knows the entire story. I know what the woman says, I know what the young man says, I know what the therapist, the detective, the investigator, and the adoptive parents say. And this time I am angry.

If anyone could see this woman's ID, they would be angry too. There is nothing that forewarns you that she is a predator in disguise. By society's standard she was a good looking woman. But her taste in men was too young, too frequent, and too illegal. And as a female who is not so good looking I am pissed that people often judge others on their outward appearance. She appeared to be a good woman. Bright smile, bright eyes, and  apparently had an engaging personality. But she is a piece of shit.