Affidavits paint a disturbing picture of Texas Child Protective Services

They're people you probably don't know and couldn't be expected to understand. You might even despise their way of life and system of belief.

But they're American citizens with all the rights guaranteed the rest of us, and that's why today dozens of women and children associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are no longer enduring what one social worker described as conditions experienced by "prisoners of war."

In San Angelo, Judge Barbara Walther ordered the return of more than 440 children to their parents following the Texas Supreme Court's ruling that authorities overreached when they rounded up hundreds of women and children during a sex abuse investigation at the sect's communal compound. As isolated as they might be, they're still protected under the law.

Affidavits collected in the case paint a disturbing picture of Texas Child Protective Services. On April 8, Linda Werlein was called to San Angelo, where authorities were holding the mothers and children taken in the raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch. As chief executive officer of the Hill Country Community Mental Health Mental Retardation Center, Werlein brought a dozen social workers with her.

Much of what she was told by CPS officials turned out to be wrong. Werlein was astounded by the conditions they were forced to endure by professionals who herded them onto buses and shipped them to Wells Fargo Pavilion. Although officials noted some of the children had "historic physical injuries" such as healed broken bones, which may be a sign of child abuse, Werlein's perception was very different.

"We were told, among other things, that we needed to be careful around the FLDS mothers, that the mothers will not look us in the eye when they address us, that they wear very expensive clothing, and that they will refuse to talk to us unless their attorneys are present," she wrote in her affidavit. "My staff and I soon learned that each and everything that we were told was either inaccurate or untrue. In fact, the FLDS women and children were very personable, would speak freely with us, wore clothes that they had made themselves, and were very open with the MHMR staff. Most of all, I was struck by what wonderful mothers they were."

She continued, "Frequently, my staff and I would have to intercede on the part of the mothers and children; in order to get many of their basic needs met. Many of the children were getting sick due to the poor quality of food they were given. ... There were several other concerns about the living conditions that concerned me; including, lack of blankets, the fact that for two weeks children had to play on concrete floors, children were interrogated for several hours at a time (and given little food), mothers had to bathe babies in buckets (only after MHMR could obtain them for the mothers), and the women had no shower facilities for the first few days of their detention. Because the MHMR workers tried to improve these conditions for the mothers and children, CPS workers labeled us as 'sympathizers.'"

In statement after statement, MHMR workers detailed inappropriate behavior: not by the FLDS mothers and children, but by the CPS officials.

MHMR director of nursing Wanda Brown said, "These women and children show absolutely no signs of abuse. The only signs of abuse I saw took place in the Pavilion where these women and children being held like prisoners of war. They were forced into these crammed shelters, the children were split from their mothers, CPS had no plan to correct the family split. ...

"The living conditions were terrible. At first there was only one bathroom for all of these people. Teenage boys were forced to share the bathroom with women, teenage girls, and all of the infants. ... Furthermore, there were no showers for the first few days that I was there. ... Despite the allegations made by CPS, I never saw one woman under the age of 17 who was pregnant."

Rounding up innocent "victims" and treating them like prisoners -- all in the name of justice.

When a system designed to help children and families -- even families we don't understand -- does more harm than good, it's time to change the system.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.