Family Policing System: A Structurally Racist Apparatus Separating Black Children from their Families

The American family policing system has been under scrutiny after a series of cases highlighted the disproportionate separation of Black children from their families. Temecia Jackson's story, where her newborn baby Mila was taken from her because she opted for at-home care with a midwife, sparked outrage across the country. This is not an isolated incident, but rather a reflection of a larger problem – the family policing system, which University of Pennsylvania law professor and activist Dorothy Roberts describes as a structurally racist apparatus that disproportionately separates Black and Indigenous children from their families.

Key Takeaways:

• Over 53% of Black children will face an investigation by child welfare services before they turn 18, with those numbers rising to 23% in foster care.
• In 2018, Black children accounted for 23% of kids in foster care but only 14% of the US child population.
• The family policing system is an extension of the carceral system and fails to address the harms of other social policies on children, such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, and inequitable education.
• Racist stereotyping of Black families influences how child welfare workers and mandatory reporters make decisions on reports of suspected child mistreatment.
• Doctors are more likely to suspect child maltreatment on the part of Black families than white families for the same conduct, and are more likely to test Black newborns for drug exposure than white newborns.
• The cases of Temecia Jackson, Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams, and Syesha Mercado reflect the common experience of Black families in America, highlighting the need for a more equitable and compassionate approach to family support.

Statistics:

• 53% of Black children will face an investigation by child welfare services before they turn 18.
• 23% of kids in foster care identify as Black, despite comprising only 14% of the US child population.
• 2018 saw a significant overrepresentation of Black children in foster care, with white children making up roughly half of the nation's child population but being underrepresented in foster care.
• In the case of Temecia Jackson, her baby Mila remains in a foster home due to a disagreement between the family's pediatrician, Dr. Anand Bhatt, and the family about Mila's medical treatment.
• The family of Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams have had their five children taken from them following a traffic stop and arrest.

Sources:

• Roberts, D. (Author). (2022). Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families -- and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World.
• Jackson, T. (2022, April 6). Photograph: TheAfiyaCenter/Twitter.
• Roberts, D. (2022, April 6). Interview with Dorothy Roberts.