Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare. (nonfiction reviews).Shattered Bonds-The Color of Child Welfare by Dorothy Roberts Perseus Books, December 2001, $26.00 ISBN 0-465-07058-2 Using a somewhat clinical approach, Shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. Bonds documents why the child welfare system in America is in serious trouble. That being said, perhaps the most tragic victims are African-American and minority children, who, for whatever reason, seem to fall through the cracks of a system ostensibly os·ten·si·ble adj. Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity. designed for their protection. This sad but recurring story is the basis of a new book by Harvard- and Yale-trained educator Dorothy Roberts Dorothy Roberts is a professor at Northwestern University School of Law in Evanston, Illinois. Roberts received her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Harvard Law School. She is an author, lecturer, and lawyer. . Shattered Bonds is a thoroughly detailed and mostly distressing examination of the racial imbalance in the foster care system. The 300-plus-page book carefully mixes the author's opinion with statistical facts to document the widespread social injustice Social Injustice is a concept relating to the perceived unfairness or injustice of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens. The concept is distinct from those of justice in law, which may or may not be considered moral in practice. in foster care. One example illustrates how African-American parents and poor families often have the greatest difficulty in regaining custody of their children placed in foster care, due in large part to systematic racism. Roberts also draws an interesting parallel between the experiences of African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. in the foster care system and in other institutions. "The color of child welfare is related to the fate of parents and children in the criminal justice system, another predominantly Black institution," she writes. "A major cause of family disruption is the high incarceration Confinement in a jail or prison; imprisonment. Police officers and other law enforcement officers are authorized by federal, state, and local lawmakers to arrest and confine persons suspected of crimes. The judicial system is authorized to confine persons convicted of crimes. rate among young Black fathers and a growing number of Black mothers." In another chapter, the author criticizes the child welfare system's effort at reform, which Roberts says should be geared toward helping troubled families, but so often fails to. A mix of statistics, anecdotal information and foster care reform proposals, Shattered Bonds offers a thorough critique of an institution that continues to compromise the African-American community. --Reviewed by Glenn Towne, a New Jersey-based writer and contributor to BIBR BIBR Bay Islands Beach Resort (Roatan, Honduras) BIBR Backward Indicator Bit Received . |
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