A FOUR-DIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON POLICE TYPOLOGIES

Using factor analysis with variables previously assumed to be conceptually bipolar, four dimensions of police juvenile bureaus are suggested: juvenile specialist, community service, local, and organizational orientations. Further analysis shows these four types to have different relationships with legalism, community satisfaction, and personalized treatment of juveniles.     

A LONGITUDINAL PERSPECTIVE ON PATTERNS OF CRIME

This article addresses the possibility of prospectively identfying chronic criminal offenders using identifiers available to the criminal justice system. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal study of the lives of men who were in a delinquency prevention program in the early 1940s. For the half who were randomly assigned to the treatment group, a discriminant function correctly identified 67% of the men as recidivists or nonrecidivists. When tested on the control group, it correctly sorted 76% of the men. The author argues that although prospective identification of recidivists may be possible, legal action based on predictions would be wrong.     

CHILD PROTECTION MEDIATION: A 25-YEAR PERSPECTIVE

This article reviews the creation, development, and growth of child protection mediation (CPM) in the United States. Starting with a few pilot projects in the 1970s, CPM has grown throughout the country. The article traces child protection's development through the publication of the Resource Guidelines and Model Courts and then discusses what the necessary ingredients for a mediation program are. Mediation is then discussed from a judicial perspective. Barriers to mediation are listed, followed by a discussion of special issues that arise when developing and maintaining CPM programs. The article concludes with the observation that CPM is now recognized as a best practice by most judges and court improvement professionals and that it continues to grow.     

FAMILY LAW EDUCATION REFORM PROJECT: A FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

The Family Law Education Reform Project Report calls for shifting the family law teaching paradigm from a focus on case‐based analysis toward a problem‐solving, interdisciplinary approach. This essay encourages law professors to take seriously this shifting teaching and learning paradigm. Aligning family law curriculum with the realities of practicing family law is a critical step in this process. This essay discusses the numerous intellectual challenges family law professors will face as they reflect on the proposed FLER Project curriculum.     

A PRACTITIONER'S PERSPECTIVE ON UNIFIED FAMILY COURTS: CASE STUDIES

As a summary of simple examples demonstrating practical advantages of a family court, this article relates a few experiences from the perspective of a family law attorney who practices regularly in the Fulton County Family Division in Atlanta.     

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN SCANDINAVIA IN A LEGAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

This article traces the history of the Scandinavian approach to children in and out of marriage. The author discusses statutory and case law in the three Scandinavian countries with an emphasis on Swedish law. Examined is the use of joint custody and the approach to families in conflict. The paramount standard is the best interest of the child.     

BARRIERS TO REUNIFICATION FOR INCARCERATED PARENTS—A JUDICIAL PERSPECTIVE

Within the child welfare system, going to jail does not automatically mean losing your children. As the number of incarcerated parents rises, California dependency bench officers are looking at the effects incarceration has on parents seeking to reunify with their children. The California legislature passed legislation allowing a dependency judicial officer to consider the effect incarceration has on parents' performance and to grant additional reunification if a parent's progress is hindered by incarceration. In Los Angeles County, the Incarcerated Parents Working Group was specifically created in 2009 to look at the services available to incarcerated parents and what barriers these parents face in their efforts to reunify. Additionally, the working group has created judicial training on this subject for their bench officers and for other judicial officers throughout the state.     

FAMILY COURT IMPROVEMENT AND THE ART OF GRANTSMANSHIP: A JUDGE'S PERSPECTIVE

Many American courts face funding obstacles as they try to create and implement unified family court processes that have not been part of the traditional family court adversarial process. To create new staff positions, build and equip adequate facilities, and create and implement innovative programs, grant funding may be available to supplement what local and state governments provide. While social science research confirms that children are adversely affected by exposure to high‐conflict family litigation and domestic violence, many communities have few affordable and available resources to address these issues. This article presents lessons and principles that one court learned as it applied for a grant to design programs for high‐conflict families and families with domestic violence history.