Broken families, broken courts: How rushed justice fails our kids

With too little time to weigh the facts and consider best options, there's an ongoing risk that children will be wrongfully removed from their parents, or sent home into harm's way.

A yearlong Mercury News examination found widespread evidence of a system riddled with problems that open the door to poor judgment:

- Judges and lawyers representing children and parents juggle caseloads in some counties that at any given time are far higher than even the maximum recommended standards. On a recent weekday, a San Joaquin County judge ruled on 135 families in a single day. Dependency lawyers in San Bernardino County represent 464 children each - almost five times what many experts recommend.

- High caseloads mean judges regularly rule without time to probe basic information.

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