Jasmine’s Law February 26, 2008

When you drop your children off at childcare, you assume they’re in a safe, loving environment. After all you’ve researched, investigated and asked for recommendations. If you’re from Tennessee, you probably checked out the facility on the Department of Human Services’ website.  

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So imagine the horror of a child dying at the hands of her child care provider. Carolyn Knox doesn’t have to imagine this horror. Unfortunately this exact thing happened to her granddaughter, Jasmine Mitchell. Day-care provider Versie Ramirez-Carr pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 15-year prison sentence. However, Ramirez-Carr was released from prison after serving four years.  After Jasmine’s death, the family learned that Ramirez-Carr, who had a valid day-care license, had pleaded guilty to a drug charge, skipped bond, violated probation and had a weapons charge in her background.

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Jasmine’s death has led Knox to start a petition to protect other children and parents who depend on childcare workers. The petition for Jasmine’s Law addresses three issues:

1. All persons seeking a child care provider license be fingerprinted and run through a national database. Anyone that has a criminal record of any kind be determined ineligible from receiving a child care provider license.
2. Child killers should have to register and be placed on a public watch list (similar to the one for registered sex offenders). 
3. There should be mandatory sentences with no chance of parole given to day-care providers found guilty of abusing a child.   

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Read more about little Jasmine Mitchell in The Jackson Sun.  

To read and/or sign the petition supporting Jasmine’s law, check here.