NCJ Number
190008
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 243-249
Editor(s)
Mark Chaffin
Date Published
August 2001
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined a sample of infant maltreatment cases in Boston’s Juvenile Court to learn how infants fared in the current court system and provide baseline data against which to compare outcomes from recent legislative reforms.
Abstract
Data showed that infants represented an increasing proportion of cases of child maltreatment. In understanding more about how infants fared or survived in the current justice system and to compare outcomes following recent legislation, the study examined a sub-sample of infants in a sample of 200 care and protection cases brought before the Boston Juvenile Court (BJC) in 1994. Child, parent, and case characteristics of infants 0-3 months of age (n=46) were compared with characteristics of older children in the sample. All the cases were followed for 4-years and data were abstracted from court records. The typical young infant referred for care and protection to the BJC was screened positive for maternal substance use and came from a poor family well known to child protection services system. Similar to older children, the majority of infants were eventually permanently removed from parental custody. Infants were more likely than older children to be adopted or placed in permanent guardianships following permanent removal from their parents. However, the study revealed serious and damaging time delays, a situation incompatible with infants strong need to form attachments with their caregivers during the first year of life. Additionally, more than half of the infants experienced multiple placements during their time in the system. Several recommendations were provided including the expediting of cases involving infants; providing effective treatment to substance abusing parents; minimizing changes in placement; and individual tracking of cases as they proceed through the system. References