Family Court in Orleans County allows mental health stigma, not science, to disrupt lives

Editor:

For too long, primary care parents in Orleans County have been railroaded by a family court system that claims to serve justice, yet routinely operates in secrecy, without medical expertise, and with little regard for the real impacts on children and families.

Until COVID, Judge Sandy Church held family court proceedings in the large, public courtroom upstairs—where the community could witness the decisions that shape lives. Today, those cases are pushed into a smaller, first-floor courtroom, out of sight, away from the eyes and accountability of the public. Why hide, if there’s nothing to hide?

Even more alarming: prior to the pandemic, Judge Church had the benefit of a mental health advocate who sat in on court sessions. That advocate would meet with him in chambers after hearings to provide context, education, and a professional perspective on mental health and addiction.

This safeguard helped ensure that families weren’t dismantled by a lack of understanding. Now, that safeguard is gone. Families are being judged—and too often punished—based solely on one man’s opinion, without medical guidance, without professional input, and without accountability.

We cannot allow a system that decides the fate of children and parents to operate in darkness. Family court should not be a place where stigma outweighs science, or where ignorance of mental health is allowed to destroy lives. It should be transparent, informed, and accountable to the public it serves.

Our community deserves better. Orleans County deserves a family court that prioritizes the well-being of children, respects the rights of parents, and seeks professional expertise before issuing life-altering decisions.

Until then, every parent who enters that courtroom is at risk of being failed—not because of their ability to parent, but because of a system designed to silence and control rather than support and understand.

It’s time for change. And it starts with us demanding it.

Sincerely,

Courtney Henderson

Albion