Attitudes of Quebec Superior Court Judges Regarding Child Custody and Visitation Issues

Judges of the Superior Court of Qucbec located in Montreal were surveycd with regard to their attitudes dealing with custody and visitation issues. The most preferred physical custody arrangements were "School Year With One Parent and Summer With the Other Parent" and "Continuous Custody by One Parent." The remaining arrangements which were considered were "Alternate Six Months," "Alternate Months," "Alternate Weeks," and "Split Week." With regard to visitation schedules, clear preferences werc not apparent. "Less Than One Weekend Pcr Month" was the lcast preferred of the options. There were no differences among "More Than Every Weekend," "Every Weekend," "Every Other Weekend," and "One Weekend Per Month." When asked to rate the importance of 13 factors which are considered in custody decisions, the highest ratings were given to factors dealing with parent-child relationships and the family unit. The lowest ratings were assigned to the preferences of younger children.