Family Abductors: Descriptive Profiles and Preventive Interventions

• NCJ Number: 182788
• Author(s): Janet R. Johnston; Linda K. Girdner
• Date Published: January 2001
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 92-MC-CX-0007
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

This bulletin examines descriptive profiles and preventive interventions with family abductors.

Abstract

The bulletin describes preventive interventions--counseling, conflict resolution, and legal strategies--that seek to settle custody and access disputes for families identified as at risk for parental abduction. Abducting parents are likely to deny and dismiss the other parent’s value to the child, are likely to have very young children (mean age is 2-3), are likely to have the support of a social network, do not consider their actions illegal or morally wrong, and are as likely to be mothers or fathers. Profiles of parents at risk for abducting their children include: (1) prior threat of or actual abduction; (2) he/she suspects/believes abuse has occurred and friends and family members support those concerns; (3) parent is paranoid delusional; (4) parent is severely sociopathic; (5) parents are citizens of another country and are ending a mixed-culture marriage; and (6) parents feel alienated from the legal system and have family/social support in another community. Notes, resources, references