About the Author
Why one father decided to speak out—and what it cost him.
Paul M. Emmons is an author, systems reform advocate, and trauma-informed parenting coach. A former foster youth turned nonprofit founder, Paul brings lived experience and unflinching truth to the fight for child welfare reform.
Through his groundbreaking work with Parenting PDA and the Magic Approach™, Paul helps families, educators, and policymakers understand the urgent need for systemic change.
The Story Behind the Book
What happens when the system meant to protect children ends up causing them the most harm?
This book is the result of that experience—part memoir, part exposé, and a full-force call for change.
For Paul, the answer came painfully clear when the Oregon Department of Human Services Child Welfare removed a child from his care—without a judge, without a jury, and without a single allegation of abuse or neglect.
That child was finally healing. He had a trauma-informed plan, a service animal, and emotional
stability for the first time in years. Then the state stepped in.
What followed was worse: institutionalization, suicide watch, regression, and trauma that never should have happened.
Why This Story Matters
This isn’t about just one child...
It’s about a system in Oregon that allows life-altering decisions to be made behind closed doors, without judicial review or due process.
- It’s about the incentives that keep children in foster care instead of reuniting them with safe caregivers.
It’s about what happens when professional warnings are ignored and trauma is treated as inconvenience.
No Judge No Jury is a wake-up call—for parents, lawmakers, and every Oregonian who believes in fairness, justice, and child safety.
A Simple Mission
Expose the truth. Protect the vulnerable. Reform the system.
Through public speaking, advocacy training, and trauma-informed education, Paul empowers others to fight back against unchecked power.