Browsing by Author "Kennedy, D. A."
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Item From Collaboration to Consolidation: Developing a More Expansive Model for Responding to Family Violence(Cardozo JL & Gender, 2013) Kennedy, D. A.Academics and activists have frequently called for increased collaboration and communication between domestic violence and child welfare agencies as a means of more effectively responding to the impact of domestic violence on children and in recognition of the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. This Article reviews whether efforts based on the Greenbook and other initiatives calling for collaboration have led to any appreciable decrease in family violence. The Article finds evidence to suggest that there has not been significant improvement in the incidence or severity of family violence and more radical responses to family violence are needed. It proposes a decisive move from collaboration and communication to a consolidation of domestic violence and child welfare agencies that would fund domestic violence agencies to provide services to families experiencing domestic violence except in families where the harm or threat of harm to the children is severe. This approach would require child welfare agencies to refer all but the most serious cases of family violence to domestic violence agencies, which would be funded to respond to family violence issues holistically. (Author abstract)Item Good mother: Mothering, Feminism, and Incarceration(The. Wm. & Mary Journal of Women & Law, 2011) Kennedy, D. A.As the rates of incarceration continue to rise, women are increasingly subject to draconian criminal justice and child welfare policies that frequently result in the loss of their parental rights. The intersection of an increasingly carceral state and federally imposed timelines for achieving permanency for children in state care has had a negative effect on women, their children, and their communities. Women, and their ability to parent, are more adversely affected by the intersection of these gender-neutral provisions because they are more likely than men to be the primary caretaker of their children. In addition, incarcerated women have higher rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and childhood and domestic abuse that make it more difficult for them to comply with federal and state standards for retaining their parental rights. Incarcerated mothers must also struggle against stereotypes of mothers and effective mothering which may be at play in parental termination decisions. This article suggests that feminists need to look more closely at these issues and proposes changes to arrest, sentencing, and parental rights hearings that would help incarcerated women maintain their connection with their children and preserve their parental rights. The article suggests a community-based approach to caring for the children of incarcerated women that would help empower women and their communities.