Overview

The state-run guardianship system, called conservatorship in some states, is largely unregulated, ill-understood, and increasingly populated by financially motivated predators. Just how the secretive world of guardianship works and its real-life effects remained a mystery to most until the very public case of pop star Britney Spears. Currently, there are an estimated 1.5 to 2 million Americans under court control, but precise figures are not known as no government entity keeps track of citizens who have lost the right to determine their own fate. Established in the late 1800s, the guardianship system was designed to assist the most vulnerable citizens: the elderly and the physically or intellectually disabled. While guardianship has been beneficial to many ""wards of the court,"" this little-understood process can be a judicial rollercoaster from which there is seldom an escape, and which often leads to financial devastation for the ward and their families. Each year, fifty billion dollars belonging to wards are placed under the control of court appointees, an obvious temptation to bad actors who control these funds. As investigative journalist Diane Dimond discovers, the number of exploitive and abusive guardianship cases nationwide demands our urgent attention. This book also provides concrete steps that families can take to protect themselves.

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Diane Dimond is an award-winning freelance journalist, author, syndicated columnist, and former television correspondent who specializes in crime and justice topics. She has appeared on National Public Radio, Hard Copy, Today, MSNBC, CNBC, and Court TV, and she has written for Newsweek, Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, the New York Post, Real Clear Investigations, and the Albuquerque Journal. She is the author of Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case, Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust, and Thinking Outside the Crime and Justice Box. Diane Dimond is an award-winning freelance journalist, author, syndicated columnist, and former television correspondent who specializes in crime and justice topics. She has appeared on National Public Radio, Hard Copy, Today, MSNBC, CNBC, and Court TV, and she has written for Newsweek, Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, the New York Post, Real Clear Investigations, and the Albuquerque Journal. She is the author of Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case, Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust, and Thinking Outside the Crime and Justice Box.

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