The child welfare system is broken, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Except for the increasing number of scandals in the news, the public knows little about the system, which is hidden from public scrutiny, allegedly to protect children. Meanwhile, the number of children being propelled into the welfare system is increasing at an alarming rate, and more than 25 state child welfare systems are being sued in federal court for abusive and neglectful practices. A careful examination of the child welfare system is long overdue. This book explores the sources of the problems in the system, places those problems in their historical, legal, and policy perspectives, and explores the implications of policies for state and national levels.

The book opens with an overview of the child welfare system and the problems inherent in it. Schwartz and Fishman then analyze attempts to mend the system and review the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act--the foundation for contemporary child welfare policy. The following chapters look at the practice of adoption, the potential movement between child welfare and delinquency, and the problems of residential care. The book concludes with the implications of child welfare policy for the state and national levels and recommends ways to reform the system.

How does the Israeli criminal justice system treat its most significant minority group-the Arabs? This book explores the functioning of Israel's criminal justice system in the context of the volatile relationship between Jews and Arabs in Israel and the conflict between Jews and the Palestinians of the occupied territories. Examining decisions at each juncture of the system, the authors study the question of whether the system treats Arabs fairly and equally or discriminates against them. Aware of the potentially volatile nature of the subject, the authors have taken care to make the book methodologically sound and their findings level-headed. Their study shows that despite legislative efforts to protect minority rights and treat all citizens as equals, these goals are not always achieved. Arabs are treated differently in the criminal justice system.