3. Chapter III – Abuse, Abandonment, or Neglect – The Role of State Law Definitions in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings [pdf]

This Chapter of the manual provides an overview of how state courts apply the state law definitions of “abuse,” “abandonment,” and “neglect” in issuing SIJS findings as part of state court orders. It discusses how courts should apply the state law definitions of abuse, abandonment, and neglect to the facts that occurred outside and inside of the United States. It also explains the state law definition of the abuse, abandonment, and neglect ad highlight the common themes in the state law definition of these terms. The chapter provides an overview of the helpful charts included as appendices to this manual that provide the state-by-state details and a national multi-state overview of how each of the following terms are described in the law of each of the U.S. states and jurisdictions.