I Know How It Feels: Empathy and Reluctance to Mobilize Legal Authorities.

This article examines why low-income mothers hesitate to report suspected child abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS), the state agency responsible for responding to such concerns. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 74 low-income mothers in Rhode Island, the study identifies empathy—defined as imagining oneself in another mother’s situation—as a key factor shaping reluctance to report. Respondents expressed ambivalence or disavowal of reporting, often justifying non-reporting by empathizing with other mothers’ precarious experiences of motherhood and fearing the punitive consequences of CPS involvement, including family separation. The findings challenge views that non-reporting signals social disorganization, instead framing it as an expression of care, solidarity, and resistance to state surveillance, highlighting the need for alternative supports that mothers find more acceptable for protecting children.