Lexington Books
Lexington, MA.
Available in bookstores or order from the publisher: $19.95.
  

Description:

This is a long overdue book that catalogues the sheer horrors of the present child protection system in our country.  No parent or child or social worker will sleep well after reading this book.  System abuses and resource shortages result in chronic suspicion against all parents, even though parents are children's greatest resource.

In 12 chapters the author describes incidents that strike terror in the hearts of all justice-loving Americans, as a sinister parade of system of inadequacies are presented, starting with the Jordan, Minnesota disaster.  Chapter 3 on New York's "Fresh Air Fund" and Chapter 12 on the "State of the Art" are perhaps the best in the book.  The author mentions VOCAL (Victims of Child Abuse Laws) 19 times in a positive, but guarded way; citing the now famous Coleman-Underwager-Schultz trio in justice and family fairness.  The book indicates that some professionals in child protection are beginning to stick their heads above the intellectual and biased foxholes the system has forced them into, and many are beginning to defend themselves.

Some readers will be offended by the lack of compassion demonstrated for the falsely charged.  No mention is made of the "family's best interest."  Professionals will also be offended by the lack of recent citations and footnotes, calling for caution in making any generalizations.

The author's appendix consists of 5 interviews: One with an incest survivor, one with a NAMBA spokesperson, one with a therapist, one with a detective, and one with a defense attorney.  All are disappointing and full of leading questions.  There is no interview with an erroneously accused person, or even one leader of a VOCAL chapter.  VOCAL members will be further offended by gerrymandered facts and figures, and selective oversight and uncollaborated interviews, or even reviews of case files.

This book is not an empirical or scientific study, but a breezy newspaperman's report, although it is worthy of reading.  Paradoxically, Hechler overlooks other newsreporters' stories, such as Frank Jones of the Toronto Star.  Those interested in the real stuff are referred to H. Wakefield and R. Underwager, Accusations of Child Sexual Abuse ()(), Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, 1988.

Reviewed by LeRoy Schultz, School of Social Work, West Virginia University.