An Alabama mother, 23-year-old Samantha Woods, was found guilty of abusing her 18-month-old children. While she received two decade-long sentences, she will only spend one year in prison. Woods will serve most of her sentence under house arrest.
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According to Law & Crime, citing the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, Woods was sentenced to two 10-year sentences to be served consecutively. She will only spend one year in the Alabama Department of Corrections, followed by 19 years of house arrest. Finally, she will be subjected to five years’ probation.
“This conviction sends a clear message: the abuse of children will not be tolerated in Jackson County,” District Attorney Jason Pierce said, as per The Clarion. “Protecting our children is not just a priority, it is a sacred duty. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment, free from fear and harm.”
Back on May 29, Woods was convicted of two counts of willful abuse of a child.
Child Abuse Discovered
According to the Jackson County Sentinel, the abuse was discovered after Scottsboro Police officers responded to a domestic dispute. While the dispute involved Woods and her partner, responding officers discovered two 18-month-old children who had been neglected.
Although there are no further details about the specific abuse the toddlers had suffered, the children required medical attention.
Following Woods’ conviction, Jackson County Assistant District Attorney Krystina Jackson addressed the children’s ages.
“The (children’s) age has been talked about like it is a good thing, like it is better to abuse and neglect babies because ‘maybe they won’t remember,'” Jackson said. “The truth is we have no idea the damage that has been done. From now on, we will never know.”
“When those children are put to bed at night, if they know in that moment that they are safe and loved or if they will always remember what it is like to be left dirty, alone and in pain.”
Before sentencing Woods, Judge Brent Benson thanked the “nosy neighbors” who called the police after hearing the domestic dispute. This led to the children being discovered.
“I am convinced that if it had not been for those neighbors that heard your domestic spout and called the police, I don’t know what would have happened to your children,” Benson said.
Samantha Woods will also have to take parenting classes, report to the Day Reporting Center, and pay $5,000 in fines.