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12 Colum. J. Race & L. Forum 1 (2022)

handle is hein.journals/cjrlfm12 and id is 1 raw text is: COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF RACE AND LAW FORUM VOL. 12 JUNE 2022 NO. 1 AN UNINTENDED ABOLITION: FAMILY REGULATION DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS Anna Arons* In a typical year, New York City's vast family regulation system, fueled by an army of mandated reporters, investigates tens of thousands of reports of child neglect and abuse, policing almost exclusively poor Black and Latinx families even as the government provides those families extremely limited support. When the City shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this system shrunk in almost every conceivable way as mandated reporters retreated, caseworkers adopted less intrusive investigatory tactics, and family courts constrained their operations. The number of reports fell, the number of cases filed in court fell, and the number of children separated from their parents fell. At the same time, families found support elsewhere, through suddenly burgeoning mutual aid networks and infusions of new government entitlements. This large-scale reconfiguration of the family regulation system represents a short-term experiment in abolition: in this period, New Yorkers moved away from a system that oppressed poor Black and Latinx people and not only envisioned but built a more democratic and humane model to protect families. As this Piece demonstrates, under this new model, families remained just as safe. Data from the courts and from the city's Administration for Children's Services reveal that there was no rise in child neglect or abuse during the shutdown period. Furthermore, once the City began to re- open, there was no perceivable rebound effect, that is, no delayed, compensatory rise in reports. This Piece positions the COVID-19 shutdown period as a successful case study, demonstrating one possible future absent the massive, oppressive apparatus of the family regulation system. * Acting Assistant Professor, New York University School of Law. Many thanks to the organizers and participants in the Columbia Journal of Race and Law's 2021 Symposium, Strengthened Bonds: Abolishing the Child Welfare System and Re-Envisioning Child Well- Being. Thank you to the many parents, activists, and practitioners with whom I spoke for sharing their thoughtful reflections with me. Finally, thank you to Nina Nevarez for excellent research assistance.