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May. 07, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Prison officials criticized for baby policies

Girl rescued in Wisconsin might have been born to NLV inmate

By DAVID KIHARA
REVIEW-JOURNAL
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The case of an abused 3-year-old girl rescued in a Wisconsin drug bust shines light on a system that could allow a baby born to a Nevada inmate to be turned over to a criminal, child advocates say.

Soon after the girl was born to the inmate, authorities believe, she was given to a reputed drug user who had been arrested for prostitution. The 3-year-old was found April 22 in a Green Bay, Wis., drug bust, but not before authorities suspect she was sexually abused.

State officials and the governor's office are looking at how the girl ended up with Heidi Hildahl, who told Wisconsin authorities that the Nevada Department of Corrections had given her the child.

Green Bay authorities still don't know the identity of the girl and have not ruled out that she could be Everlyse Cabrera, a toddler who went missing from a North Las Vegas foster care home in June 2006.

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    • State corrections officials, however, say they play no role in determining where children born to inmates are placed. There were 55 babies born to Nevada inmates in 2006 and 2007.

    "We don't know the name of the child or where the child goes," said Suzanne Pardee, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections.

    Critics say the case highlights problems with the lack of oversight of children born to inmates.

    "People are flying over to China to adopt babies, and we're handing them over to alleged prostitutes," said Donna Coleman, a longtime child welfare advocate.

    Authorities believe the girl's birth mother is Danielle Allen, a 26-year-old who served time in the women's prison in North Las Vegas for possession of a controlled substance.

    Allen is believed to have given birth in prison in 2005, but the prison has no record of it or who the baby was turned over to, according to a police affidavit.

    The girl found in Green Bay was living with Hildahl, a 38-year-old Wisconsin resident who has prior arrests for misdemeanor cocaine and gun possession, as well as felony reckless driving and evading police, records show.

    A witness told police that he saw an acquaintance of Hildahl's molest the 3-year-old, according to the police affidavit.

    Green Bay police said Hildahl told them that she and her husband, Salvador, were "granted guardianship (of the girl) by the Nevada Prison System," according to the affidavit. Hildahl claimed her husband is the baby's grandfather.

    The girl is in protective custody.

    Allen, who is out of prison and no longer lives in Nevada, said she won't comment on the case until she gets custody of her daughter.

    The Department of Corrections said that when an inmate gives birth, the inmate chooses the caregiver and the prison merely provides the corresponding paperwork. The prison is the "facilitator," Pardee said.

    The Corrections Department doesn't investigate the inmate's choice of a guardian or conduct a background check on them, Pardee said.

    "We take care of inmates," she said.

    The Clark County Department of Family Services and the state's Division of Child and Family Services only get involved when an inmate can't find anyone else to take their newborn, officials said.

    Other states, however, do extensive background checks on adults who care for inmates' children.

    In Ohio, county child welfare agencies work with pregnant inmates to identify three potential guardians. The county runs criminal background checks and inspects the potential guardians' homes to see whether they're suitable, said Jim McCafferty, director of Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services, which includes Cleveland.

    If none of the inmate's choices qualifies, the county takes custody of the child.

    Washington state also conducts criminal background checks and home visits for anyone preparing to care for an inmate's infant.

    "We want to make sure we don't send a child to a situation that's worse than what we're trying to get them out of," said Lauri Stewart, spokeswoman for the state's child welfare agency.

    Coleman said the Nevada prison system's lack of involvement in the process is inadequate. While the mother should have some say in where the child ends up, the safety of the child needs to be considered too, she said.

    "The very least we should do is a fingerprint check," she said.

    Gary Peck, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said that Nevada's child welfare agencies should get involved in placing inmates' babies with guardians.

    "Family services have the greatest institutional competency to work with the mother and the penal system," he said.

    Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.



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    Hotcop wrote on May 07, 2008 07:42 PM: Herb I agree with you 100%.
    I am in my 30's ... never a ticket or jail time. All my kids have the same dad and none of them have bad grades or have been in trouble. Good people raise good kids. Bad people should not have kids!


    Susan wrote on May 07, 2008 07:02 PM: As NV foster parents I think the wisest decision would be to hand all inmates children over to the care of NV CPS. The departments just need to work together & all would be fine!


    Herb wrote on May 07, 2008 02:56 PM: Tax payer, I should clarify I am talking about felons, not everyone who ever had a speeding ticket. The majority of the population has not served a prison sentence.

    You call me names like sadistic and cold hearted. In reality it's the criminals you love so much that have these qualities, not myself. I am a kind sensitive person who has never hurt anyone, there should be more like me.


    Tax Payer wrote on May 07, 2008 01:40 PM: Herb, I challenge you to find me ONE completely law abiding human! I sure the heck hope YOU are not populating the planet with your sadistic, cold hearted, arrogant, ignorant, self-centered, self rightous, hypocricial DNA.


    Ingrid wrote on May 07, 2008 01:00 PM: Yes, Nick and Cindy - Nevada is home to agencies and officials who probably possess the same I.Q. of room temperature.

    And, they have absolutely noqualifications or moral aptitude for determining the quality of life for humans or animals alike.

    For the absolute, classic demonstration of the word "oxymoron" - Nevada's "social services" ranks right behind "military intelligence."


    Geezzzzzzz wrote on May 07, 2008 12:58 PM: When a woman in prison has a child and she chooses a family for that child CPS should be the ones to do a background check, fingerprints, drug tests etc.. and then do spot checks ea. month on the child and family. It's not impossible, its common sense.


    Cindy wrote on May 07, 2008 11:50 AM: Another black eye for the State of Nevada. What the heck is wrong with this state.

    Just what DOES CPS do. If Ohio can investigate guardians of inmate babies why can't we? Ohio has a MUCH larger population then we do.


    Herb wrote on May 07, 2008 10:47 AM: I would agree with M about tying the tubes of female inmates. Women who date male criminals should also get their tubes tied. Of course male criminals should be forced to get vasectomys. Not only are criminals rotten parents, we do not want criminal DNA to be passed on to the next generation.

    Only allowing the law abiding to have children will go a long way to making our country safe and civlized with few social problems.


    Nick wrote on May 07, 2008 09:11 AM: Brutal comments today. The focus here should be why is the prison giving newborns to criminals? Is this entire state brain dead?


    Jack wrote on May 07, 2008 08:49 AM: Why not get proactive and fix the system we already have for dealing with unwanted or neglected children. Sorry, but if you want to take your car to the baker shop to get it fixed, do not cry when it doesnt run.
    I also believe in spaying women who are going to prison to avoid more burden on society. For those of you not familiar with the 'Criminal" "injustice system", a women who get convicted has a miniscule chance of seeing the inside of a prison as compared to a man. It therefore follows that their crimes and actions warrant prison and spaying. To get to the joint, a woman has to do a lot more crime than a man. While we are at it lets grab all these welfare eaters and spay them too.


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