A single mom who disciplined three of her six children after they committed a burglary found herself in jail after authorities said she went too far with her punishment.
On Monday, June 20th, Schaquana Spears, the Baton Rouge mother of 6 was arrested by police for whipping three of her children after they allegedly broke into a neighbor’s house. She is out on bond and struggling to understand how she could get arrested for her actions, according to multiple reports.
Spears, 30, told the media that she was working Friday when a neighbor alerted her by phone that three of her sons and their friends were seen returning to her residence with what appeared to be stolen property. Most of the youths fled when she returned home, but Spears managed to catch and discipline her sons.
Police said her 13-year-old showed them cuts and marks on his arms and body from a power cord used repeatedly by Spears. Her 10- and 12-year-olds also had injuries, arrest records said.
Here’s East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III’s statement on the incident, according to WBRZ:
Parents have the right and obligation to discipline and teach their children. We often time see children who have no parental authority or discipline which eventually results in delinquency and criminal acts. We need more parents who discipline their children. Surely you would expect a parent to discipline a child who is burglarizing other people’s homes as this could be a deadly encounter for the child. The degree of physical discipline will be reviewed. The law does not allow excessive pain or cruelty but does allow physical parental discipline.
I only have the short synopsis which does indicate that the discipline resulted in marks on the child’s body and possibly an open wound. I will review all of the reports; meet with the DCFS office and review any history of this mother and her children to get a better picture of the entire family dynamics before making a decision. In the meantime my office is working with the juvenile court to ensure the speedy release of the mother under conditions satisfactory to the court.
According to OpposingViews, Many readers applauded the mother for disciplining her children and criticized authorities for putting her in jail.
“This is why so many kids are running the streets acting like thugs. When mom tries to give them the discipline they need she is put in jail for it, while the system teaches the kids that they are the victims, not the perpetrators. That whipping never hurt me, and it damn sure is not going to hurt those kids,” one reader commented on Facebook.
“I think they should let the mom go and lock the little thugs up in juvie. They’re punishing the wrong one.at least she’s trying to keep them from ending up in prison or worse when their older,” another wrote.
“This was not child abuse, she was teaching them a good lesson. Now they will never learn anything worthwhile but when I got home -look out. Surely the officers could have handled that a little better. Some jail time may have done those 3 boys some good,” another added.
For ALL parents (single or married), you understand the difficulty in raising your children; but everything you do is for your children. Spears never thought disciplining her children would land her in jail and cause her children to be taken from her. They range in age from 2 to 13 and they’ve all been removed from their home. Not because she is an abusive, neglectful mother but, because she tried to show her kids right from wrong.
Spears was bonded out of jail by a complete stranger (Winter Applewhite). This kind woman saw her story, believed her actions were justified, and decided to do something.
Sources: OpposingViews, WBRZ
