The coalition is protesting the egregious actions habitually taken by CPS, and the Courts, for years, in taking children from their families without merit and justification. The abuse of children while in the hands of CPS. The death and harm of numerous children, due to CPS failure of proper oversight and accountability. The culture of bias, collusion, and systemic racism which pervades CPS and the Family Courts, has become the normal way of doing business. Especially for African American families.

This is a reality that we of the Justice Reform Coalition know and live with all the time. It is a major focus point for our organization as it is 60% of all the cases that we look at and are asked to help with. Of those cases 80% at least involve CPS (Child Protective Services). The incentivized system of funding and reward , coupled with NO oversight, has developed into an organized criminal racket, of human trafficking of children. The unrestrained power given the CPS has given them the muscle to threaten, terrorize, coerce and harass families and parents into submission and compliance, and punish those who question the abuse.

 

We have put together a platform with other advocates and organizations to begin to address community concerns and the lack of any oversite in this matter. The following bullet points are meant to be an introduction to the issues and recommendations on the CPS-Family Court problem especially plaquing our poor, minority, and Black community families. It's time to give these issues the attention they disserve and fix them.

 

COURT ISSUES

1. Referees, Magistrates and Commissioners
1. illegally presiding over jurisdictional hearings without stipulation
2. Issuing removal orders without an actual Judges review or signature
3. Biased in favor of CPS
4. Routinely violate client's civil rights
5. Routinely violate clients due process
6. No consequences or oversite for wrongful actions and behavior
2. Unfair biased evidence admission practices
3. Admission of hearsay evidence by CPS
4. Extreme cultural and racial bias
5. Protective Warrants
1. Issued without judicial authority
2. Being digitally signed referees and commissioners, or clerk of the court, without an affidavit to support the removal of children
6. No procedure for redress and correction of wrongful court orders and adoptions

CPS ISSUES

1. Systemic Bias
1. Workers see themselves as "saviors"
2. Authoritarian powerplay with clients
3. cultural discrimination -
4. racial bias
5. monetary incentivization to take children
2. Procedural violations common place
3. Unequal offering of client services
4. Regular violations of client civil rights
5. Supervision of workers is terrible
6. No real oversight of CPS operations
7. Falsification of documents, reviews, and reports

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Repeal or reform the Adoptions and Safe Family Act of 1997
2. Full FBI investigation of CPS and Family Courts nationwide
3. Regular audit of CPS finances and end incentivization programs
4. Legal accountability of CPS
1. Penalties for CPS Workers who wrongly involve families in system
2. Prosecution of violators
3. Compensation for wrongly involved families
4. All reports to be run by client for review and dispute, before filing with the court
5. Permit client advocate or rep in all CPS interviews and hearings
5. Expand Community Broker Program
6. Transparency in Family Court -
1.  Open hearings
2. Mandatory recording of ALL CPS and Family Court interviews and hearings
3. Permit client advocate or rep in all Court interviews and hearings
4. Two to three weeks' notice on hearings unless the parties specifically agree to less
5. Jury for determination hearings
6. All court orders must be typed - no hand written orders to litigants
7. Non law enforcement response teams
8. Non-aligned independent Citizen Over-sight Committee
9. Remove cases from the Courts
1. Stops the criminalization of CPS matters
2. Establish citizen review committees to make determinations on CPS cases

 

This is just an over view. We await your response and questions.