ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the family justice system. It details family court history and function. The chapter documents the characteristics of those who use family courts, discusses how family courts are performing, and details the many challenges facing these courts. The chapter cites surveys of family courts in various jurisdictions and concludes that family justice system reform is necessary. Finally, the chapter endorses the unified family court model as the ideal means to address the difficulties inherent in the current family justice system. The authors detail the blueprint for the creation of the unified family court by defining specific required components.
