In Fixing Families, Jennifer Reich takes us inside Child Protective Services for an in-depth look at the entire organization. Following families from the beginning of a case to its discharge, Reich shows how parents negotiate with the state for custody of their children, and how being held accountable to the state affects a family.

Jennifer A. Reich is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Denver.

Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Child Protection: A Historical Perspective; Chapter 3 The Hated Do-Gooders: Social Work in Context; Chapter 4 Expected Parental Behavior: Theorizing Subordination and Deference in the Investigation; Chapter 5 Reforming Parents, Reunifying Families; Chapter 6 Court-Ordered Empowerment and the Reformation of Mothers in CPS; Chapter 7 Biology and Conformity: Expectations of Fathers in Reunification; Chapter 8 Beyond Reunification: When Families Cannot be Fixed; Chapter 9 Conclusion;