US: “It’s Like A Leech On Me”: Child Abuse Registries Punish Unsuspecting Parents Of Color
BuzzFeed News – April 27, 2022
Being placed on a child abuse registry can cast a decades-long shadow, ending careers, blocking the chance of getting hired for new jobs, and putting adoption out of reach. And in state after state, people of color – especially if they are living in poverty – are several times more likely to be placed on these registries, and to suffer their consequences. People can be placed on these registries on the sole judgment of a caseworker and a supervisor from a child protective services agency, without a judge or similarly impartial authority weighing the evidence. As recent national initiatives have been launched to repair racial inequities in the criminal justice system, the registries, which operate in a quasi-judicial, social services realm, have received far less attention.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scottpham/child-abuse-and-neglect-registries-punish-parents-of-color