LA Times (Opinion), "Caylee's Law won't work."

Con Argument on Caylee’s Law: The Los Angeles Times editorializes against such laws as doing little more than criminalizing bad parenting and opposes the efforts of two California Assemblymen, who plan to author bills to make it a felony if parents fail to promptly report a child’s death or disappearance.
- HTN Foundation

Editorial

Recipe for pander porridge: Take spicy if deeply flakey criminal defendant who in the eyes of many got away with murder, add crowd-pleasing legislation making her aberrant behavior a crime, and stir. Place in super-heated media environment until well done. Serve to constituents while still piping hot.

This is the distasteful dish being cooked up by politicians in at least 16 states -- including, we're sorry to say, California -- in reaction to the acquittal of Casey Anthony. The recipe originated soon after an Orlando jury ruled July 5 that Anthony was not guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, when Michelle Crowder of Oklahoma launched an online petition on the social-change website Change.org. "There should be a new law created called Caylee's Law that will make it a felony for a parent or guardian to not notify law enforcement of a child going missing within 24 hours," says the petition, which as of Wednesday had attracted nearly 1.3 million signatures.

Only too happy to agree were California Assembly members Paul Cook (R-Yucaipa) and Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles). Cook plans to introduce a bill that would make it a felony for parents or guardians to fail to report a missing child under 12 within 48 hours, or to fail to report the death of a child within two hours. Mitchell's bill is even tougher, criminalizing the failure to report the death or disappearance of a child under 14 within 24 hours.

Casey Anthony and her lawyer Jose Baez leave the Orange County Jail in Orlando, Florida July 17. Anthony was released from a Florida jail on Sunday to resume the life interrupted three years ago when she was charged with the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. (Red Huber / Reuters)