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19 - Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses

from Part II - Pretrial Phase Decision-Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2024

By
Stephanie D. Block ,
Hannah M. Johnson ,
Yuerui Wu ,
Dana T. Hartman  and
Gail S. Goodman
Edited by
Monica K. Miller ,
Logan A. Yelderman ,
Matthew T. Huss  and
Jason A. Cantone
Monica K. Miller
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Reno
Logan A. Yelderman
Affiliation:
Prairie View A & M University, Texas
Matthew T. Huss
Affiliation:
Creighton University, Omaha
Jason A. Cantone
Affiliation:
George Mason University, Virginia
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Summary

Children are a critical part of certain legal trials, such as cases involving child abuse and neglect, and especially in cases of child sexual abuse. It is common for the only evidence in these types of cases to be the statement of the child victims. Children’s decisions about if and when to disclose the abuse are affected by many factors, and delays in disclosure are common. Police, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, and other professionals make decisions about when and how to interview children, the accuracy/credibility of their statements, if a case will move forward, and if and how children will testify in court. In some courtrooms, children are given special accommodations (e.g., testifying through closed-circuit TV or being accompanied by a therapy dog). Decisions about evaluating children in these situations have implications for the safety of children and the protection of innocent adults. Future research and policy implications are discussed.

Keywords

decisions for child victimsdecisions to disclosechild eyewitnesseschild abusechildren in courtchildren’s testimonychildren’s disclosures
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making , pp. 290 - 306
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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