Advocates and Impacted Families Renew Call for Family Miranda Rights Legislation After Uncovered ACS Report Reveals It Knew of Its Own Discriminatory Practices
(NEW YORK, NY) — Today, the New York Times reported on a Freedom of Information Law request by The Bronx Defenders, which revealed the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) commissioned an internal audit in December 2020 that found racial bias - and perverse incentives for staff to protect themselves rather than families - are pervasive.
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“These findings echo our experience in representing parents in family court over the past fifteen years: ACS functions to surveil, separate, and punish Black and Latine families. Critically, the report shows just how important it is that parents know their rights and have early and free access to legal representation. ACS must reckon with this reality and must be held accountable for the racial bias ingrained within it, which destabilizes families and communities with generational consequences,” said Lauren Shapiro, Managing Director of the Family Defense Practice at the Brooklyn Defenders.
View the full press release here.
