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Proposed Law Inspired by Casey Anthony Case Passes Assembly
A law inspired by Casey Anthony and introduced by a Los Angeles assemblywoman has passed the state assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support and is headed over to the state senate.
"Caylee's Law" would make it a crime for a parent to not report a child's death or disappearance within 24 hours, according to the Sacramento Bee. Offenders would be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. The law is inspired by Casey Anthony, who failed to report her daughter's death for a month, but who ended up notoriously being acquitted of murder. Los Angeles Democrat Holly Mitchell sponsored the bill.
Anthony lived in Florida, but her case has been an inspiration to at least sixteen states around the country and some very popular Change.org petitions.
The law sounds like common sense — why shouldn't a parent report their kid missing? — but not everyone is a fan. Some critics say creating laws to respond to one high-profile case isn't good legislating. And Huffington Post reporter Radley Balko says these laws could have their own problems: they could cause overcompliance, it could be hard to tell when to start the clock and there's the potential for the rule to be abused by prosecutors.
The bills are incredibly popular, however, with lots of support by the public as well as politicians scandalized by the Anthony verdict. California's version of Caylee's Law passed the assembly 66-3.
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