An exploratory study of the range of implications of families' criminal justice system involvement in child welfare cases

This article describes findings from a review of child protective services case records that was conducted to further understanding of the relevance of families' criminal justice system involvement in child welfare cases. Records suggest there are four broad categories of scenarios in which families' criminal justice and child welfare involvement intersect. These include: (1) instances in which parental arrest and child maltreatment investigations coincide; (2) consideration of parents' criminal histories in the decision to remove children from the care of their parents; (3) consideration of relatives' criminal histories in decisions to place children in foster care; and (4) instances in which child protective services agencies become involved with children whose parents are incarcerated because of risks to children's current safety or inadequate resources. Variations within these categories are described and discussed in the context of ongoing advocacy on behalf of incarcerated parents and their children.