By Barry Goldstein Custody courts cannot protect children when they permit a biased theory, designed to help abusive fathers take custody from good mothers and twice rejected by the American Psychiatric Association because there is no research to support it, to have more influence over the courts than ACE (adverse childhood experiences) and Saunders that are peer-reviewed scientific studies … [Read more...]
Does an Expert Witness Need to Speak with all Parties?
By Barry Goldstein During our training to teach batterer classes, we often discussed the fact that much of domestic violence is counterintuitive. One would expect abusers to deny and minimize their abusive behavior, and they do. One would also expect alleged victims to exaggerate or even make up false reports of DV. Instead, it is very common for victims to minimize his abuse; … [Read more...]
“Shared Parenting” Places Ideology Over Children
by Barry Goldstein and Veronica York 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. Initially, parents seeking shared parenting did so voluntarily, in situations where they were able to communicate and cooperate. There is now … [Read more...]
Dear Judge Responding to DV Custody Cases
by Barry Goldstein Dear Judge,The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges seeks to train other judges about important scientific research like ACE (adverse childhood experiences) and Saunders. We now have a specialized body of research and knowledge about domestic violence and child abuse that can help courts recognize true reports of abuse and craft responses that help protect … [Read more...]
Family Courts’ Worst Trade for Kids: Safe Primary Attachment Figures vs. Abusers with “Rights”
Essay by Barry Goldstein How would a typical family court analyze a case in which they believe a safe mother who is the primary attachment figure has failed to promote the relationship with a father the mother believes is dangerous and abusive? In many ways, this is the typical custody case the courts would call “high conflict,” and experts familiar with current scientific research would call … [Read more...]