DUE 3/25

PADM 700

As you have experienced, finding a real-life case study can be a challenge.

If you have some difficulty finding a case study on governance of interest and value to you, please feel free to use this one. Especially if you have interest and experience in child protection, law enforcement, other governmental agencies, or the courts. It provides a clear examples of diametrically opposed differences in ethics, governance, and culture of child welfare from 1960-1985. Unfortunately, there are still way too many similar horrendous cases like this. 

Discussion:

The Dennis Sherwood Jurgens is an actual case example to: 1) learn about and from; and then 2) assess the ethical/unethical, governance, and (pseudo) statesmanship actions of the major persons and governmental organizations involved. I know this one personally. 

Here are the asks:

Learn: Please search Dennis Jurgens, Lois Jurgens, Jerry Sherwood, and the other names and organizations you identify as involved in this situation, listed below. You may want to read the book  A Death in White Bear Lake or watch the made-for-TV movie  A Child Lost Forever. I was hoping John Wayne would play me but.....:)

Here are some links to get you started.

https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Pioneer+Press+Dennis+Jurgens&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=pg1_dzkFMp3T4M%252CWT0rZ8a3Q_f2GM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQx7O9qFb2vVnQDUrDdsAVsp_G8Ng&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXvdCTtrfuAhVQ-qwKHekvBuoQ9QF6BAgcEAE#imgrc=pg1_dzkFMp3T4M

https://murderpedia.org/female.J/j/jurgens-lois.htm

In 1987 People Magazine did a story on this tragic case.

In 1988  60 Minutes ran a story “No One Saved Dennis”.

Read the 1988 book  A Death in White Bear Lake.

Or watch the 1992 made-for-TV movie,  A Child Lost Forever.

https://www.directv.com/movies/A-Child-Lost-Forever-ejVWcFVYSXNVTTQ2cCtFWDVySnJrZz09

Apply: Submit your discussion post with the following critical components.

1. Summarize the story. What happened in:

1. 1960?

2. 1965?

3. 1986-1987?

2. Share the context of the times and situations:

. What was the situation and culture in 1960 if an unwed, 17 year old ward of the state became pregnant (and, yes, I am using the terms of that time)?

. And what were the needs for adoptive family and adoption services system like at that time?

. By 1985 what had changed re. adoptions (and abortion) and the right of birth mothers to have the adoptive social services agency contact her birth child to see if she/he (after age 21) wanted to connect in some way?

3. Assess the ethics, statesmanship, and/or governance actions of the following in 1960:

. Jerry Sherwood

. Ramsey County Adoptive Services

. Lois Jurgens

. Harold Jurgens

. Ramsey County Child Protection

. White Bear Lake Police, especially Jerome Zerwas

. Ramsey County Coroner

4. Assess the ethics, statesmanship, and/or governance actions of the following in 1985:

. Jerry Sherwood

. Ramsey County Child Protection

. Ramsey County Attorney

. Ramsey County Coroner

. Robert Jurgens

5. What are the practical lessons you learned about ethics, statesmanship, and public sector governance from this horribly tragic case example? Which, unfortunately, is much more common than any of us want to believe.

Very important—it is easy for us to 'judge' the actions of others years ago from our time today. I suggest we always need to seek to understand the times and culture that person lived in before we pass any of our judgments of today on them.