The Politics of Child Abuse in America (Child Welfare)

209 Pages·1997·11.82 MB·English

by  Lela B. Costin

The
Politics
of Child Abuse
in America
Child Welfare
A series in child welfare practice, policy and research
Duncan Lindsey, General Editor
The Welfare of Children
Duncan Lindsey
The Politics of Child Abuse in America
Lela B. Costin, Howard Jacob Karger and David Stoesz
The
Politics
of Child Abuse
in America
Lela B. Costin
Howard Jacob Karger
David Stoesz
New York Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1996
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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Copyright © 1996 by Oxford University Press
First published in 1996 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1997
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Costin, Lela B./Lela B. Costin, Howard Jacob Karger, David Stoesz.
p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 0-19-508930-8
ISBN 0-19-511668-2 (pbk.)
1. Abused children—Services for—United States—History.
2. Child abuse—United States—Prevention—History. 3. Social work
with children—United States—History. I. Karger, Howard Jacob,
1948- II. Stoesz, David. III. Title.
HV741.C663 1996
362.76'8'0973—dc20 94-49130
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 31
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Frank Costin, who has long been my loving mentor.
L.B.C.
To the memory of my grandmother, Pauline Schwartz,
who, despite the odds, always tried to do her best.
H.J.K.
For those American children—like Lisa Steinberg and
Christa Hawkins—who died of child abuse today.
D.S.
This page intentionally left blank
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Lisbeth Schorr once observed that the successful children's advocate must
possess the combined talents of Machiavelli, Mother Teresa, and a C.P.A.
(Lisbeth Schorr, "What Works: Applying What We Already Know About
Successful Policy," The American Prospect 13 (Spring 1993): 48). Claim-
ing none of these, we owe many debts.
Colleagues who reviewed the manuscript—Charlene Latourneau, David
Pugh, Marian Fatout, Dorinda Noble, and Steven Rose—helped refine
the points we endeavored to make. Yigal Bander read portions of the draft,
his encouragement helped keep us going. Thanks also to Dale Robinson,
who took her valuable time to carefully review the manuscript; her com-
ments clearly enabled us to clarify important parts of the book. Also, spe-
cial thanks is owed to Leroy Pelton—one of the finest scholars in the field
of child welfare—whose extremely thorough critique helped us to avoid
glaring errors and make our arguments more succinct; wherever we fol-
lowed his suggestions, the book was improved immeasurably. Several stu-
dents, including Rania Amos and Henry van Oudheusden, contributed
to the book in the form of exemplary research they had undertaken on
related subjects. Amanda Hamburger helped with library research. A very
special thanks is reserved for Ruth Supranovich, whose research assistance
ranged from locating Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, to deciphering
obscure government reports, to carefully reviewing the manuscript. Her
conscientiousness portends a promising career, one that will hopefully
permit future collaborations.
San Diego D.S.
July 1995
I am ever grateful to the University of Illinois, which enabled me to con-
tinue to study and write by providing numerous professional opportunities
as well as financial support.
Champaign, II. L.B.C.
July 1995
Thanks to Connie, who, as usual, did more than her share of the house-
work, and to Shaulie, my seven-year-old dreamer, who makes the best paper
viii Acknowledgments
airplanes in the world. His smiles and giggles helped me through the worst
days; his patience enabled me to finish this project on time. My apologies
to both for the times that I wasn't there. Special thanks to my coauthors;
to Lela, for being my mentor and friend for the past fifteen years and for
illustrating what scholarship was about through her written word and
actions; and to David, for his emotional support and close friendship, and
for taking part in an intellectual journey that has brought us this far. We
have simultaneously built our careers and forged an intimate friendship.
Herewith a toast to the work still to come.
Baton Rouge, La. H. J. K.
July 1995
CONTENTS
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 3
1. The Cultural Landscape of Child Abuse
in the United States 13
The Paradox of Child Abuse 18
The San Diego Experience 19
The Child Abuse Industry 23
Psychotherapy and the Child Abuse Industry 24
The Legal Industry 29
The Unraveling of Child Abuse Policy 33
Conclusion 40
2. Child Abuse as a Social Problem: The Emergence
of the Child Savers 46
The Social Context of the Child Rescue Movement 48
The Mary Ellen Legend and the Rise of the Child
Rescue Movement 51
The Legend 52
The Makings of a Movement 57
The Role of the Press 57
The Influence of an Outraged Public 58
The Anticruelty Movement in the Context
of Other Social Movements 59
The Rise of Judicial Patriarchy 61
Elbridge T. Gerry and the NTSPCC 62
Central Themes in the Anticruelty Movement 67
Social Control 67
Parents, the State, and the Rescue of Children 70
Differences Regarding the Role of the SPCCs 72
Conclusion 74