Custody Evaluators and More!

Meanwhile, officials at Chicago’s centers say the visits they oversee for hundreds of parents each year generally last no longer than eight or nine months. They usually end when a judge grants the non-custodial parent unsupervised visitation.

Experts emphasize that months of supervised visits do not guarantee that unsupervised meetings will be safe, as the Connolly case illustrates.

“A lot of judges see time passing as evidence that the problem is cured,” said Denice Markham, executive director of Life Span Center for Legal Services and Advocacy in Chicago, which represents victims of domestic violence. “Just because the parent complied in a controlled setting doesn’t mean it’s safe to grant unsupervised visitation.”

Michael Connolly killed his two sons after passing the "supervised visitation test."

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/apr/20/local/chi-safe-havens-20apr20

Connolly slayings: Father played the legal game in effort to visit with 2 sons
Father who killed 2 sons complied with judge’s orders to get unsupervised visits