The Bureaucratic Failure: Kristen Lardner Case

The case of Kristin Lardner is one abuse not only by the presence of an abusive relationship in her life but also of the legal system, and the bureaucrats lack interest in the matter as grave as the crimes committed against women in the society. Kristin Lardner was only 21 years old when she was shot in the head and face by her stalking boyfriend, Michael Cartier on May 30, 1992 (Greene, PSCI 501.01). This was not a sudden action taken from the side of Michael, but detailed analysis shows his persistent steps and Kristen’s attempt to reach the administrative system for help. There are a number of instances which shows the ignorance in the legal system which ultimately failed her and led to the death of a vibrant young woman that could have easily been prevented.

The story of Michael Cartier in itself is one of the administrative failures at the very core, as the rap sheet shown by the officer to Lauren, Kristin’s elder sister and a lawyer was a three pages long and he had more than 20 cases pending against him and most were of violation of the probation on one or the other case. The probation officers everywhere simply paid attention to the case in hand and not once any of them showed interest in searching for the past record of someone as rebellious and outrageous against the system as was Michael. His girlfriend before Kristen, Ryan Rose has an identical story of their relationship and the police complaints which we find in this case which proves that he was supposed to be inside the jail when he murdered her (Greene, PSCI 501.01). She was bright young women with a prospective future in arts and fashion and was an avid reader and an upfront person. She could never tolerate physical violence and was always opinionated on men being abusive in a relationship. Even in her relationship with Michael after his first beating on April 16, she maintained in front of her parents that she ‘had a boyfriend rather than a boyfriend who had beaten her up.

There are several people who also failed to save Kristen simply because of the ignorance they have of matters such as these. The comprehensive cover-up by the senior sergeant Diane Barrett Moeller in her press record on the day of the murder signifies the number of wrongs done from the part of the legal system. The phone call record from about a week ago from the day of shooting by Kristin to the probation officer was held back from the press where she has complained and even given an earful to the officer telling her about his violation of the restraining order to stay 200 meters away from her and complained about the $1,000 which he has taken from her for a Nordic Flex Machine. The probation officer Tobin showed indifference towards the fact that she was the victim and that she was already calling to complain about the violation of the restraining order she has got after a long wait. She goes onto give as a part of the explanation that Kristen called to the Boston Municipal court which was handling the case of Rose and Michael, and she was the not the victim of the case they were handling so they could not take any action.

The stalking was a continuous habit for Michael and even his pattern in the relationship was very similar and could have been easily found in any of the probation officers would have cared to look at the past record because even after and during Kristin’s case, he was in violation of the probation of Rose’s case. Stalking is an intentional attitude which threatens the safety of anyone who is not willing to accept the presence of the individual and the results of such incidents are often hazardous. Michael’s charge sheet was full of women who have complained about the psychological behavior which signified his instability to roam in the society. He has thrashed Rose in the subway and had threatened her that he would kill her if she does not get up. We get almost similar dialogue from the police report of the first time Kristen filed a complaint where he kicked her continuously and was later helped by passing by car to reach home.

None of the judge, whether Shulow or the visiting judge of the Boston felt it be a necessary step to search and revise the records of Michael whether it was during Rose’s or Kristin’s case hearing. The fact that animal cruelty and barbarous killing of animals were never taken as a crime harmful enough to keep a person with a long list of crimes and childhood and teen records of staying in correction homes and always being abusive to animals in the most disturbing way where he has pulled a rabbit’s leg out of the socket and burnt a kitten under hot running water and shaving the furs completely with men’s shaving kit (Tomes & Spak, 2014). The fact that the worker at the Gay’s flower and Gifts knew about Michael’s of a gun since early May and even showing the security and the way to hold the gun is very disturbing because she later admits to the fact that he told her in a humorous style that if he kills Kristin she won’t tell anyone. The counsellor at the Emerge should have alerted the authority when he refused to give the name of the probation officer, and he understood that Kristin was not the first woman he has abused.

The remedy of the Problem

The fact that Kristin’s last reports were never filed and the reason was given was as petty as that they were waiting for it to be printed the point that makes the matter graver for the women who undergoes abusive relationship at the hand of these kinds of men. The banality of the matter that the charges were so grave that the officer on duty that day did not wait till the morning and got hold of the application of complaint himself and had it signed from the night duty judge to approve of the temporary order of warrant for at least one week but the papers were never filed in the court and sat at the clerk’s table on the day of murder (Tomes & Spak, 2014).

The actions of the bureaucrats and their attitude towards dealing with men like Michael makes up for their confidence to commit such a crime. Every time he committed a contempt of court he was given an alternative program which consisted of the educative process when clearly he was in dire need of therapy. There was no legal format where a person’s past record can be tracked in the state or interstate is the reason that a criminally minded man was seen fit to roam the streets. After Kristin’s case, VAMA or Violence Against Women Act was passed by the Congress in the state of Massachusetts to make sure that the crimes committed by the same individual should reflect every time he is brought for prosecution (Hueter, 1997). Even though his past crimes were not showing, his present behavior towards her reeked of criminality, and yet the probation never lasted more than three days. The attitude of the probation officers are also responsible for the fact that he knew he could get out of the jail easier than he would get in and hence he threatens to her at the beginning of the case is justified in his threaten that he will get out in a maximum of six months and then he will have his way again with her.

The probation officers remark about the fact that Kristin was fixated on the Nordic machine when she should have stressed upon the probation is disturbing because she was frustrated with the judicial system and its incompetence to deal with a severe case like this. The case represents the judicial system which lacks the very basic to fight violence against women.

References

Greene, J. D. PSCI 501.01: Public Administration.

Hueter, J. A. (1997). Lifesaving legislation: But will the Washington stalking law survive constitutional scrutiny. Wash. L. Rev., 72, 213.

Morville, D. A. (1993). Stalking laws: Are they solutions for more problems?. Washington University Law Review, 71(3), 921-935.

Strikis, S. A. (1992). Stopping stalking. Geo. LJ, 81, 2771.

Tomes, J. P., & Spak, M. I. (2014). Practical Problems with Modifying the Military Justice System to Better Handle Sexual Assault Cases. Wis. JL Gender, & Soc’y, 29, 377.