Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act: Affording Enhanced Protection for Victims of Domestic Violence and Their Children

• NCJ Number: 181032
• Journal: Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 50 Issue: 2 Special Issue Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 55-60
• Author(s): Billie L. Dunford-Jackson J.D.
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

State legislatures throughout the United States can decide whether to adopt the relatively new Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) to replace the old Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA); features of the UCCJEA are examined.

Abstract

In a number of ways, the UCCJEA affords better protection for victims of domestic violence and their children and better protection for the due process rights of all parties than the UCCJA. Even with its limitations, the UCCJEA gives judges new tools to curtail the abusive power of batterers and enhance the safety of battered women and their children. Sections of the UCCJEA that are especially protective of the safety of battered women and their children are outlined, along with the act's due process protections. 5 endnotes