NCJ Number
156880
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1995) Pages: 1051-1064
Date Published
1995
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examines the placement outcomes of 206 severely abused or neglected children 7.5 years after arraignment in the Boston Juvenile Court on Care and Protection Petitions.
Abstract
Results revealed that 67 percent of the participants had been permanently removed from their parents and 33 percent had their cases dismissed. At the time of the follow-up, 21 percent of the sample were still in temporary custody awaiting permanent placement. In addition, 4 percent had drifted back to their abusive or neglectful parents despite prior permanent removal. The average time children spent awaiting permanent placement had increased substantially to 2.1 years since the last overview study of the sample 4 years before. The rate of court referral for recurrence of abuse or delinquency was significantly lower among children who had been permanently placed than among the other children. The rates of court referral for reabuse charges were the same (16 percent) for children who were in temporary custody at the time of follow-up and children who had been dismissed back to the parent for whom the original Care and Protection Petition had been filed. Results are discussed with respect to the urgent need to restructure time limits in juvenile court proceedings, integrate adequate tracking of child abuse and neglect cases through and across court and agency boundaries, and the use of standardized assessments of abused and neglected children as a tool in the adjudication process. Tables, figure, and 42 references (Author abstract modified)