SEATTLE - Striking a blow for rebellious teenagers, the Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that state law prohibits parents from eavesdropping on a child's phone conversations. The case reached the high court because of a purse-snatching. A 17-year-old boy was convicted of the robbery, in part on testimony from his girlfriend's mother, who overhead him discussing the crime on the phone with her daughter. The daughter had taken a cordless phone into her bedroom and closed the door. In another room, her mother pressed the speakerphone button on an extension, listened in and took notes. The court ruled that the daughter and her boyfriend had a reasonable expectation of privacy on the phone. Washington state law prohibits intercepting or recording conversations without the consent of all participants. "The Washington privacy statute puts a high value on the privacy of communications," Justice Tom Chambers wrote in the unanimous opinion. The boyfriend will get a new trial.
I suppose I'm old-school, but I feel that as long as the kid is under 18 and lives in my house I have complete control of their lives. Privacy? Who are they kidding? Me and my 3 brothers all shared a bedroom!
Washington is a bad place to raise kids. Horrible laws and parents have no rights. One fellow lost custody of his son after being reported for spanking his child (no bruising or anything like that). After having his child hidden from him by the state for several years with no visitation, he later found out his son was molested several times while in state foster care. Definitely the child's best interest was upheld there!
I agree also! All to often, it seems one of the qualifications to become a Supreme Court judge, is to lack common sense or any degree of logical thinking! I'd say more, but it would only start one of those disdained political threads.
I thought CA was bad ou: I'm blessed with two teriffic kids but they know if they cross "the" line they will pay the price.
ahh not to fast grasshoppers. First off the mother can listen in on her daughter for her concerns over her daughter. But in this case from what I read above. Mom of the girl ratted on the boyfriend who was on the phone at another location, not under her roof and mom is not the mother of the teenage dirtbag boy. So even though I say too bad lock him up, I have to agree with the court. Had the daughter been directly involved in the crime and also bragging and arrested after mom spoke out from what she "over heard" then I believe the case would have a different outcome. As the mother is responsible for her daughter's actions and the daughter is under mom's control and custody and using mom's phone which I am sure dear ol'e mom is footing the bill for. Now if the police were smart after alerted by mom. They could have first verified the crime through incident reports of that particular crime and then taken mom's statement as an informer, she then repeats her story in private chambers to a Judge who then 'may" decide if there is enough evidence to let the police set up a wire tap so that the dirtbag can brag about it again and then the information will be allowable in court. No I'm not a lawyer, I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express :laugh:
I understand what you're saying Rick, but I feel the opposite. The mom was right to have dropped dime on the kid, and in my opinion the way the information was obtained was OK. We're not talking about sneaking out after curfew or something like that, this dregbag commited a crime and was BRAGGING about it. As far as I'm concerned, if you are scum and commit a crime against another person or institution, then ANY WAY you can be brought to justice is OK with me. Since when do we need to uphold civil liberties for criminals? Too soft, man. America is just too soft. Some of the ways things get thrown out of court just amaze me.
As far as I'm concerned, The whole west coast is becomeing a secular, progressive mess. I agree with you 100% as far as raising kids. As long as the judge is allowed by the people and the country to take control out of parent's hands, the kids and the society are doomed. I OWN my kids until they are 18 or until they move out. This judge should be tarred and feathered for that decision. What an idiot. This country is going to hell in a handbasket.
Yardley Don't get me wrong my heart is right there along with your view. Unfortunately the law is the law, and yes there are laws that stink. One thing I have learned though over the years. And this my friend always remember it. "You have to make the laws work for you." The bad guys ALWAYS use the same laws that are there for us to their advantage and most cases hide behind it. As a law abiding person one also has to learn to make the laws work for them. I'm not saying to lie....that is wrong, but stretching the truth at times, but staying within the boundries of the truth I consider justified in order to beat the bad guys at their own game. In this particular case. I would have mentioned that I accidently picked the phone up to use it and accidently over heard a "part of a conversation" and as a prudent and responsible parent notified the police for "guidance". Then armed with that piece of information I would allow the police to legally wire tap my line. Hopefully then the local PD would have the "smarts" on doing this within the boundries of the law. The bottom line is spin the truth without lying and beat the SOB's at their own game. Now of course if it were my daughter and I told this piece of garbage to take a hike and he threatened me or refused...well one must then do what is correct for your family. Of course when the police arrive and see him lying on the ground with two broken knee caps they will also see a knife near him which I feared for my dear life as he lunged at me with that knife. Hmmm word against word. The dirtbag would have never admitted that he had a knife even if were to be true. Word against word. Who would they believe, me being a rational taxpaying scared adult or a piece of garbage hood.
So your boss can monitor your conversation all day at work without your consent but a mother can't listen in to her daughter? Please let the story be fake.
My daughter Kylie now knows that i somtimes "tapped" her phone calls when i thought she might be heading the wrong direction or was concerned about who she was friends with. I was able to secretly alter the coarse of a few evenings and keep her away from situations that could have went badly for her. You can ask her, she will tell you that she's glad i did. Dads and Moms out there you cannot go too far to protect your children in todays world.......... It's the ultimate expression of the love you have for them!!! Peace WildBill
I heard more about the case on the radio this morning. I think I've come over to Rick's side of the fence here. The judge interpreted the privacy law enacted by the Washington legislature. That is a good thing. The point is the judge interpreted, instead of legislating from the bench. Unfortunately, it was a poorly written law. It should have specified that homeowners or parents of minor children may monitor the communications entering and leaving their home. or something to that effect. :Smarty:
That's good parenting Bill :TU: . Doing it on the sly is just a good thing to do once in a while, "making sure" things are going alright and if not there are always other reasons to give them when you confront them and they wonder how you found out. We were all kids and we all can relate on how we talked with our parents about most things, but sometimes when we ran into a serious problem we (as kids) would feel either scared or embarrassed to talk to our parents thinking that "we know it all" when in fact we don't.
In this day and age?? I'd put my money on them believing the piece of garbage hood. Especially in CA oe WA.
