Child Custody and Domestic Violence : A Call for Safety and Accountability

Child Custody and Domestic Violence: A Call for Safety and Accountability focuses on the complexity of the challenges facing judges, lawyers, legislators, and mental health professionals in developing safe and effective strategies for resolving custody disputes. Jaffe, Lemon, and Poisson integrate the most recent clinical and legal issues in the field in considering the prevalence of divorce and domestic violence as well as the relevance of domestic violence in custody disputes. The authors outline the essential differences between custody disputes with and without allegations and findings of domestic violence, and the different analysis and distinct interventions by judges, policymakers, and mental health professionals necessary in domestic violence cases. Key Features: Addresses difficult issues such as parent alienation syndrome, false allegations, and mutual abuse Reviews recent legislation and guidelines in custody disputes involving domestic violence in four countries: the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia Outlines significant judicial decisions in custody disputes, highlighting the inconsistency and unpredictability of the decisions and their impact on the desired outcome Offers recommendations for legislative improvements, increased training for legal and mental health professionals, enhanced services and programs, and the development of new policies to deal with domestic violence in custody disputes Legal and mental health professionals who provide services to divorcing parents will find this a much-needed reference, as will anyone whose life has been affected by child custody disputes and domestic violence.

Peter G. Jaffe, Ph.D., is the Founding Director (1975-2001) and Special Advisor on Violence Prevention of the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic. He is also a member of the Clinical Adjunct Faculty for the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario Nancy K. D. Lemon, J.D., is a consultant to the California Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) Samantha E. Poisson, M.Ed., is Clinical/Research Services Coordinator at the Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System of the London Family Court Clinic and is currently completing her doctorate in education in applied psychology at the University of Toronto