The Troubling Admission of Supervised Visitation Records in Custody Proceedings

This article argues that the widespread misuse of visitation reports threatens to compromise both the interests of abused children and the safety of domestic violence victims. It explores the purposes of supervised visitation programs and the legal community’s call for their development; describes the efforts of legislatures and provider networks to develop standards and guidelines for the administration of supervised visitation services; addresses issues surrounding the use and admissibility of observation reports and other reporting tools routinely kept by supervised visitation programs; and proposes a standard limiting the circumstances under which courts may admit program records into evidence in custody proceedings