For Legal Information. Child Custody and Visitation Best interests of child determine who gets custody.
Child custody can take one of several forms.
Sole custody gives one parent physical custody of the child as well as legal custody, the right to decide how the child is to be raised. Sole custody has traditionally been the most common custody arrangement in the United States. In the past dozen years, however, a number of states have expressed a preference for awarding joint legal custody. In a joint custody arrangement, both parents theoretically share in making decisions about how the child is raised. In most joint custody arrangements, sole physical custody is given to one parent so that the child can enjoy a relatively stable home environment.