State, children need Iowa Juvenile Home

As a retired child abuse investigator for the Department of Human Services, I am familiar with the unfortunate situations children can experience and the impact that removal from parental custody has on a child and the family.

I also know that, despite best efforts, the system of community placements sometimes fails, perhaps repeatedly, to meet a troubled child's needs. The state needs a facility such as the Iowa Juvenile Home and Girls Training School to offer another chance for children to grow up successfully. Most of the children will stay in Iowa to become the parents and citizens of the future. It benefits us if they can heal from their troubled past to become contributing members of society. Closing IJH is a mistake.

Carol White

Cedar Rapids