GOLDSTEIN & YORK

The Saunders study found that best practices in domestic violence (DV) custody cases require a multi-disciplinary approach that includes a DV expert. Most judges and lawyers are not familiar with these best practices and so fail to gain the full benefits working with a DV expert can provide.

Upon studying the personal records and interviewing the patients who left, Dr. Vincent Felitti came to understand that rather than a problem, the patients had viewed their excessive weight as a protective factor.

Dirty Little Secret: Courts Ignore Most Dangerous Risk

Courts cannot save children if they are unaware that standard court practices routinely place children in jeopardy.

Good Advice for Conronavirus and for Judges

Most family court custody cases are settled amicably. It’s only about 3.8% of cases that require trial and often much more.

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges seeks to teach other judges about the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Research and the Saunders Study.

Most people, including court professionals are not aware that custody courts routinely mishandle domestic violence (DV) cases.

One of the best decisions I ever made occurred at the start of my work in the domestic violence movement.

Family courts got off to an unfortunate start in the 1970s when domestic violence (DV) became a public issue but virtually no research was available. 

Just as custody courts developed responses for domestic violence at a time when no research was available, early proponents of shared parenting sought to experiment when there was no research about shared parenting.

The Vastly Different Response in Family Court and in Life

The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) research is a group of studies sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control that establish that children exposed to domestic violence, child abuse and other traumas will suffer more injuries and illnesses throughout their lives and have shorter life expectancies.

Every day I hear horrific stories of courts using deeply flawed and outdated practices that ruin the lives of protective mothers and their children.

Custody courts cannot protect children when they permit a biased theory designed to help abusive fathers take custody from good mothers...

A delusion is a fixed, false belief that persists despite clear and contradictory evidence. In family courts across America, there exists such a delusion: the firm belief that children are not adversely affected by a father’s domestic violence (DV) and child abuse, and that protecting a father’s role in a child’s life must take precedence, at any cost. Mental health experts and court professionals frequently miss, minimize, or misunderstand how DV impacts children.

The Only Outcome Family Courts Will Consider

So how can the custody court system allow a sexist theory concocted not from any research but...

Family courts have a long history of focusing their attention on reunifying families.

No Big Deal in Our Country Domestic Violence, Rape and Sexual Assault