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| Judge Cronin |
ParentingNewsNetwork
Judge Kevin Cronin of Allegan County, Michigan, sentenced disabled protective mother Maria Melinn to jail for 21 days in response to non-payment of child support. Her disability is reported to be from a broken back allegedly inflicted on her by her ex-husband.
In 2008, Kevin Cronin campaigned against the prior incumbent judge based on a “Family Values” platform. He was endorsed by the religious right American Family Association, the Family Rights Coalition – PAC, and several Father’s Rights groups. His campaign smeared his opponent for being liberal and associated with homosexuals.
In 2009, Dads Of Michigan.org honored Judge Kevin Cronin ”For efforts in maximizing child access to both parents and his work to support both parents involvement in children’s lives.”
Cronin does seem to be concerned with Father’s Rights, but not a child’s right to be with their mother. Compare this disabled mother’s sentence to a father’s sentence Cronin gave to a man whose son was stabbed.
Cronin sentenced the 34-year-old to 90 days in jail, 2 years probation and more than $2,400 in fines and costs for being an accessory after the fact to a felony…Cronin was struggling with the sentencing, saying he wanted to hand down a substantial punishment for Joseph Embree’s lack of judgment, but realized the three children need to have their father with them.
Harsher punishment would have meant unemployment and loss of the home, Cronin said. “It would destroy your relationship with the children.”
Cronin projects an image of piety, but he really seems to be a man who hates women, at least unmarried women who are mothers. This misogynistic judge does not reflect family values, but patriarchal Father’s Rights. (Unless “Family Values” is code for patriarchy) This judge is making the United States family court system look like the Judeo-Christian version of Sharia law
Janice Levinson
Co -founder/ Executive Director
Protective Mothers Alliance International
PMA has been in existence for only one year. Lundy Bancroft and I co founded PMA because of the desperate need to bring to light what is happening in family courts.
The point that I wish to make is that Maria’s situation is NOT an isolated occurrence.
PMA at present has approximately 70 state chapter leaders nationwide, and we are quickly growing in numbers everyday. Our leaders are all fit mothers who have their own nightmare story to tell. Sadly, this is an epidemic in this country.
Family court judges have placed gag orders on moms, taken children away from protective moms by ex parte orders when children were CLEARLY not in danger and have taken children away from loving, fit moms while they were kicking and screaming all the way. In some leaders situations, children were handed over to dads who were CONVICTED sex offenders. The volume of human rights violations and the stories that PMA has heard in just one year, is profound. Double standards are the norm since it seems that dads can violate court orders with no consequences, yet if mom does EXACTLY the same thing , she gets thrown in jail. The time for this nonsense is quickly coming to an end however. Pma has band together not only protective mothers but the CHILDREN who have aged out of the system and are now ready to speak out about how family court abuse has damaged their lives. When it comes “out of the mouth of babes” and we come together in solidarity by the hundreds( PMA and other advocacy groups) WITH our children all our voices will finally be heard and the light will shine on the truth.On behalf of our family of advocates at Protective Mothers Alliance I extend my deepest appreciation to Parenting News Network for helping to expose the truth about Maria’s tragic situation.
Executive Director/ co-founder
Protective Mothers Alliance International
whereas angry people are merely so for irrational reasons.
Amazing what real ‘transparency’ does.
Get rid of these Judges nation wide.
When they collect child support they MAKE money. WIN – LOSE.
When they punish non-payers they MAKE money. LOSE – LOSE.
When they punish custodial parents for visitation violations they get no new money – so they refuse to HELP despite state laws obligating them to. This is an unfunded mandate. LOSE – LOSE.
When parents cooperate and keep out of the system they lose money. WIN – WIN
Failure to correct and adjust the amount is what triggers the non-compliance not inability to work. She brought the facts to court when they couldn’t be considered. This is a common mistake.
You are somehow claiming that it’s proper for children to be deprived of their mothers and that women should pay men child support?
The mother has also been deprived of the ability to spend money without court permission, so this would make it difficult to hire an attorney. The judge also plans to take her disability money when it comes in, so it’s unlikely she will be able to pay someone to fill out her paperwork.
You are telling me that judges in Michigan like to jail mothers with broken backs? The world must be going to hell in a handbasket if that’s the case.
As far as doing pro bono work for families, how many of those were female headed families? Or do you deny that there is a family unless it is headed by a male? Mothers are being denied their children. This is a crime. Jailing mothers with broken backs because they aren’t paying the guy that broke their back enough money is a crime against humanity. If you care so much for this mother’s relationship with her children, why don’t you get help for her to get out of jail and have the proper paper work filled out.
He has kept 2 of my children from me violating court orders in which the courts refused to do anything, I still havent see two of my children. Now I proved parental kidnapping (that he openly admitted to the state police) as well as purgery which are both felonies in Michigan, but I guess according to some that is ok as well. I am working to see if there will be “consequences” for this, which i doubt….
Hmmmm I guess the parental alienation only counts if its against the father!!!!! Thank you so much to those of you who have shown me support. You are really a God sent!!!!! I pray that one day my country will be just as i always thought it was!!!!! It may be difficult but we need to show the corruption until its forced to change!!!!
~Thank you so much Parenting News Network, I am so greatful for all that you have put into checking my case out…I can not put into words how much that means to both me and my children, you are awesome!!!!!~