The Unknown

The Ethics Committee

Neil created the Ethics Committee to help safeguard the children's wellbeing and protect the interests of his charities. The Committee was headed by Dr. Evans, the Center's on call psychiatrist. Other members included legal counsel, child welfare experts, members of the Foundation's board of trustees, healthcare providers, and social workers. The Committee was solely financed by private donations and its rulings were reviewed by members of the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO).

Neil agreed to abide by the Committee's final decision. In reality, Neil could ultimately make whatever decisions he wanted since the NJC was a private organization that received no government funding. So though seemingly biased in Neil's favor, the Committee did actually serve as a safeguard for the children.

When the Committee was presented with a case, they would have all parties involved write a statement of their account of the event. They would then review said statements and call witnesses to testify in a mock courtroom environment (a conference room at the Foundation). The Committee would then convene in private and only present their ruling after coming to a consensus, sort of like a jury. The Committee's ruling would in turn be reviewed by NASCO members and summarily be accepted or rejected. If NASCO members decided to reject the Committee's decision, a second trial would take place with NASCO members running the proceedings. Their resulting ruling would then be considered binding. If they accepted the Committee's ruling, it would be considered binding for all parties involved.

At the Foundation conference room during the proceedings

Dr. Evans: "Admiral Donovan, would you please describe in detail the events that transpired early Sunday morning, from the time you and Julie left the spot where the police stopped the girls until you arrived back at the NJC. "

Shane: "We started heading home but then I took a detour to Memorial Park. I then took Julie to the dugout, where I proceeded to discipline her."

Dr. Evans: "When you left the side of the road, did you intend on detouring to the park or did you make that decision en route?"

"I had every intention of stopping at the park."

"Tell us about your frame of mind upon arrival at the park."

"I was livid, to say the least."

"Would you say you were in control of your emotions at that time?"

"Yes, I was in complete control of my emotions at that time."

"Exactly what transpired in the dugout? How did you discipline Julie?"

Shane shifts in his chair, somewhat uncomfortably, before responding, "I began yelling at Julie for what she'd done that night. Asking her how she could be so irresponsible and do something so asinine and dangerous. I told her she could have killed someone by driving drunk. I then removed my belt and proceeded to ensure she would never make that mistake again."

"How many times would you say you struck her with your belt?"

"I don't know, I wasn't counting."

"Isn't it commonplace to have a predetermined number of strokes in mind before meting out punishment with a belt?"

"Not always. Sometimes it's unknown how many strokes will be required to elicit the desired response."

"Enlighten us, Admiral. What is the desired response?"

"Most often? Contrition."

"Was it necessary to strike Julie over fifty times on the back, buttocks, and legs to achieve that response?"

"That wasn't the desired response in this case," Shane replies, through gritted teeth. It's clear Shane is becoming agitated with Dr. Evans's questions. He is quickly losing his patience.