Jaycee Duggard Case

Jaycee Dugard was abducted on June 10, 1991 in California; Jaycee was eleven years old at the time. Jaycee was held captive for eighteen years........on August 24, 2009 a happenstance visit by the captor, Phillip Garrido, to University of California/Berkley would reveal the circumstances of Jaycee Lee Dugard and the children she now has. Without going into great detail regarding the kidnapping and the many years Dugard was held, I would like to point out the many errors in this case that ultimately saw the State of California award Dugard a settlement of $20 million dollars because of their numerous errors. Number one, Garrido was a parolee of the state of California. While under the auspices of the state of California, Garrido was able to continually hold Dugard in captivity as well as continue to sexually assault and mental and/or physical abuse Dugard. There were numerous lapses by the California Department of Corrections and the local police department that serves the area where Garrido owned a home. There were welfare check calls that were placed by concerned citizens as well as parole visits to Garridos home which did not produce anything out of the ordinary. The follow-up visits by the police department were handled improperly as there was not any investigation done. A deputy sheriff spoke with Garrido at the front of the house for about 30 minutes and left after telling him there would be a code violation if people were living outside on the property. After Dugard was found in August 2009, the local police issued an apology. (Adams, 2009). Garrido was wrongly classified as a parolee who only needed limited supervision. Subsequent visits by correctional personnel showed direct violations of Garridos parole yet the proper investigation and follow up were not done. The ball was dropped in many instances regarding Dugard. It is sad but true that officials in a number of departments did a great injustice to Jaycee by not doing their jobs effectively. Granted she was awarded twenty million dollars, the years of mental, sexual and physical abuse can never ever be equated to a monetary value. This case shouts the importance following up on leads whether they seem menial or not!

Adams, G (2009, August 29). "Missing girl could have been found in 2006". The Independent , . Retrieved from http://www.independen t.co.uk/news/world/americas/missing-girl-could-have-been-found-in-2006-1778997.html