Child in limbo because of a warden

There is a very disturbing story coming out of Florida.

There is a little boy who has been in foster care since he was born. He is now eighteen months old and there is a family who is ready to adopt him. His birth mother’s rights have been terminated, but there is one huge wrinkle in the case. His birth father’s rights have not been terminated yet.

The problem is that his birth father is in federal prison, and is not due to be released until 2019. The federal prison is delaying this little boy’s (T.J.) adoption. His birth father either needs to appear in court in person, or he can do so by phone.

The warden of the prison consistently refuses to get the father on the phone, and thereby allow this child a chance for permanency in his life. Without the father’s “presence” the case cannot be finalized.

The judge in charge of T.J.’s case has been working very hard to get T.J.’s case finalized. He has written letters to the prison, sent faxes to them and so on. This is not a judge who is sitting around waiting, and he should be recognized for that. He could just wait for the paperwork to show up or for the prison to call or produce the biological father, but he is being proactive. I’m proud of the judge for being proactive.

Apparently little T.J. is not the only child in this situation. Other attorneys and judges are complaining about the same issue. They feel it is because the state doesn’t have jurisdiction over the federal system and therefore cannot “force” them to do anything.

The one who is losing in this situation is T.J. and his potential adoptive parents. Everyone is sitting around waiting to make them a family.

If you want to help T.J., contact the reporter for this story, Kathleen Chapman kathleen_chapman@pbpost.com Maybe it will help.

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