An Alabama woman will serve just one year behind bars after being sentenced late last month for child abuse.
On May 29, 23-year-old Samantha Woods was found guilty on two counts of willful child abuse. The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office announced this week that on June 25, the court sentenced her to two 10-year terms to be served consecutively. However, nearly the entire sentence will be served under house arrest.
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Authorities said Woods came to law enforcement’s attention following a domestic dispute that prompted an investigation.
That probe revealed that two 18-month-old children living in a Scottsboro home—about 40 miles east of Huntsville—had suffered abuse so severe they required medical care.
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Although officials haven’t disclosed the full extent of the children’s suffering, the victims’ young ages have drawn significant concern.
Prosecutors rejected any notion that the victims’ youth somehow lessened the crime’s severity.
“The (childrens’) age has been talked about like it is a good thing, like it is better to abuse and neglect babies because ‘maybe they won’t remember,’” Assistant District Attorney Krystina Jackson told the Jackson County Sentinel. “The truth is we have no idea the damage that has been done. From now on, we will never know… when those children are put to bed at night, if they know in that moment that they are safe and loved or if they will always remember what it is like to be left dirty, alone and in pain.”
Although the domestic incident involved Woods and her partner, it was a neighbor who called police that day.
In court, Jackson County Circuit Judge Brent Benson acknowledged the neighbor’s crucial role.
“Thank God for nosey neighbors,” the judge reportedly said. “I am convinced that if it had not been for those neighbors that heard your domestic [incident] and called the police, I don’t know what would have happened to your children. I am convinced your children wouldn’t have gotten help… I don’t know what 18-month-old children remember, but maybe one day, they’ll remember that a nosey neighbor may have saved their lives.”
After serving her prison time, Woods will undergo five years of supervised probation and must complete parenting classes, according to the court’s ruling.
“This conviction sends a clear message: the abuse of children will not be tolerated in Jackson County,” District Attorney Jason Pierce told The Clarion. “Protecting our children is not just a priority, it is a sacred duty. Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment, free from fear and harm.”
