Findings of the Intervention Study

In the Intervention Study, Family Court Services personnel used the six profiles to identify individuals at risk for abducting and then referred these individuals to one of two interventions. This study found that, compared with baseline (precounseling) measures, all parents in the study were more cooperative, less violent, and more likely to resolve disputes over custody issues than before the intervention. In addition, custody violations and parental abductions also decreased. The brief 10-hour intervention was as effective as the extended 40-hour intervention in achieving these results. The success of both interventions was attributed to the increased attention the family courts gave the at-risk families, which led to early imposition of constraints by the court, increased use of investigation and evaluation, and monitoring of resolved custody issues.

Early Identification of Risk Factors for Parental Abduction	Juvenile Justice Bulletin • March 2001