Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses

doi:10.1017/9781009119375.019

19 - Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses

from Part II - Pretrial Phase Decision-Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2024

Stephanie D. Block ,

Hannah M. Johnson ,

Yuerui Wu ,

Dana T. Hartman and

Edited by

Matthew T. Huss and

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

Book contents

Get access

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 victims decisions to disclose child eyewitnesses child abuse children in court children’s testimony children’s disclosures

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Legal Decision-Making , pp. 290 - 306

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009119375.019 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahern, E., Stolzenberg, S., & Lyon, T. D. (2015). Do prosecutors use interview instructions or build rapport with child witnesses? Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(4), 476–492. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2183.Google Scholar

Allnock, D., & Atkinson, R. (2019). “Snitches get stitches”: School-specific barriers to victim disclosure and peer reporting of sexual harm committed by young people in school contexts. Child Abuse & Neglect, 89, 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.12.025.Google Scholar

Benia, L. R., Hauck-Filho, N., Dillenburg, M., & Stein, L. M. (2015). The NICHD Investigative Interview protocol: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(3), 259–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2015.1006749.Google Scholar

Bennett, N., & O’Donohue, W. (2014). The construct of grooming in child sexual abuse: Conceptual and measurement issues. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 23(8), 957–976. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2014.960632.Google Scholar

Bidrose, S., & Goodman, G. S. (2000). Testimony and evidence: A scientific case study of memory for child sexual abuse. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 14(3), 197–213. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(200005/06)14:3<197::AID-ACP647>3.0.CO;2-6.Google Scholar

Block, S. D., Segovia, D. A., Shestowsky, D., et al. (2012). “That never happened”: Adults’ discernment of children’s true and false memory reports. Law and Human Behavior, 36(5), 365–374. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0093920.Google Scholar

Block, S. D., & Williams, L. M. (2019). The prosecution of child sexual abuse: A partnership to improve outcomes. US Department of Justice. www.ojp.gov/library/publications/prosecution-child-sexual-abuse-partnership-improve-outcomes.Google Scholar

Bottoms, B. L., & Goodman, G. S. (1994). Perceptions of children’s credibility in sexual assault cases. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 24(8), 702–732. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1994.tb00608.x.Google Scholar

Bottoms, B. L., Peter-Hagene, L. C., Epstein, M. A., et al. (2016). Abuse characteristics and individual differences related to disclosing childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and witnessed domestic violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(7), 1308–1339. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514564155.Google Scholar

Brubacher, S. P., Peterson, C., La Rooy, D., Dickinson, J. J., & Poole, D. A. (2019). How children talk about events. Developmental Review, 51, 70–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.12.003.Google Scholar

Bull, R., & Milne, B. (2020). Recommendations for collecting event memory evidence. In Pozzulo, J., Pica, E., & Sheahan, C. (Eds.), Memory and sexual misconduct (pp. 198–222). Routledge.Google Scholar

Bunting, L. A. (2014). Exploring the influence of reporting delay on criminal justice outcomes: Comparing child and adult reporters of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 23(5), 577–594. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2014.920457.Google Scholar

Cashmore, J., Taylor, A., & Parkinson, P. (2017). The characteristics of reports to the police of child sexual abuse and the likelihood of cases proceeding to prosecution after delays in reporting. Child Abuse & Neglect, 74, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.07.006.Google Scholar

Castelli, P., & Goodman, G. S. (2014). Children’s perceived emotional behavior at disclosure and prosecutors’ evaluations. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(9), 1521–1532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.02.010.Google Scholar

Chae, Y., Hartman, D. T., & Goodman, G. S. (2022). What children remember after talking to parents: Implications for children’s memory and testimony. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 11(3), 328–333. https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000067.Google Scholar

Connolly, D. A., Chong, K., Coburn, P. I., & Lutgens, D. (2015). Factors associated with delays of days to decades to criminal prosecutions of child sexual abuse. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(4), 546–560. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2185.Google Scholar

Cross, T. P., & Whitcomb, D. (2017). The practice of prosecuting child maltreatment: Results of an online survey of prosecutors. Child Abuse & Neglect, 69, 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.04.007.Google Scholar

Davies, G. M., & Noon, E. (1991). An evaluation of the live link for child witnesses. Great Britain Home Office, London.Google Scholar

Dent, H. R., & Stephenson, G. M. (1979). An experimental study of the effectiveness of different techniques of questioning child witnesses. British Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 18(1), 41–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1979.tb00302.x.Google Scholar

Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau US. (2021). www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment.Google Scholar

Doherty‐Sneddon, G., & McAuley, S. (2000). Influence of video‐mediation on adult–child interviews: Implications for the use of the live link with child witnesses. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 14(4), 379–392. https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-0720(200007/08)14:4<379::AID-ACP664>3.0.CO;2-T.Google Scholar

Duron, J. F. (2018). Legal decision-making in child sexual abuse investigations: A mixed–methods study of factors that influence prosecution. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.02.022.Google Scholar

Elliott, D. M., & Briere, J. (1994). Forensic sexual abuse evaluations of older children: Disclosures and symptomatology. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 12(3), 261–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2370120306.Google Scholar

Evans, A. D., & Lyon, T. D. (2011). Assessing children’s competency to take the oath in court: The influence of question type on children’s accuracy. Law and Human Behavior, 36(3), 195–205. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0093957.Google Scholar

Giles, J. W., Gopnik, A., & Heyman, G. D. (2002). Source monitoring reduces the suggestibility of preschool children. Psychological Science, 13(3), 288–291. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00453.Google Scholar

Gongola, J., Scurich, N., & Quas, J. A. (2017). Detecting deception in children: A meta-analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 41(1), 44–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000211.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S. (1984). Children’s testimony in historical perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 40, 9–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1984.tb01091.x.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S., Goldfarb, D., Quas, J. A., & Lyon, A. (2017). Psychological counseling and accuracy of memory for child sexual abuse. American Psychologist, 72(9), 920–931. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000282.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S., Hirschman, J. E., Hepps, D., & Rudy, L. (1991). Children’s memory for stressful events. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 37(1), 109–157. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23087341.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S., Myers, J. E., Qin, J., et al. (2006). Hearsay versus children’s testimony: Effects of truthful and deceptive statements on jurors’ decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 30(3), 363–401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-006-9009-0.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., Bulkley, J., & Shapiro, C. (1999). Innovations for child witnesses: A national survey. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 5(2), 255–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8971.5.2.255.Google Scholar

Goodman, G. S., Taub, E. P., Jones, D. P. H., et al. (1992). Testifying in criminal court: Emotional effects on child sexual assault victims. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 57, i–159. https://doi.org/10.2307/1166127.Google Scholar

Goodman-Brown, T. B., Edelstein, R. S., Goodman, G. S., Jones, D. P. H., & Gordon, D. S. (2003). Why children tell: A model of children’s disclosure of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27(5), 525–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(03)00037-1.Google Scholar

Grandgenett, H. M., Pittenger, S. L., Dworkin, E. R., & Hansen, D. J. (2021). Telling a trusted adult: Factors associated with the likelihood of disclosing child sexual abuse prior to and during a forensic interview. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116, 104–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104193.Google Scholar

Hanna, K., Davies, E., Crothers, C., & Henderson, E. (2012). Child witnesses’ access to alternative modes of testifying. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 19(2), 184–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2011.559153.Google Scholar

Heger, A., Ticson, L., Velasquez, O., & Bernier, R. (2002). Children referred for possible sexual abuse: Medical findings in 2384 children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26(6–7), 645–659. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(02)00339-3.Google Scholar

Hershkowitz, I., Horowitz, D., & Lamb, M. E. (2005). Trends in children’s disclosure of abuse in Israel: A national study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(11), 1203–1214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.04.008.Google Scholar

Hershkowitz, I., Lamb, M. E., & Katz, C. (2014). Allegation rates in forensic child abuse investigations: Comparing the revised and standard NICHD protocols. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 20(3), 336. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037391.Google Scholar

Hershkowitz, I., Lanes, O., & Lamb, M. E. (2007). Exploring the disclosure of child sexual abuse with alleged victims and their parents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(2), 111–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.09.004.Google Scholar

Hershkowitz, I., Melkman, E. P., & Zur, R. (2018). When is a child’s forensic statement deemed credible? Child Maltreatment, 23(2), 196–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517734059.Google Scholar

Karni-Viser, Y., Hershkowitz, I., Lamb, M., & Blasbalg, U. (2021). Nonverbal emotions while disclosing child abuse: The role of interviewer support. Child Maltreatment, 28(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595211063497.Google Scholar

Klemfuss, J., Quas, J. A., & Lyon, T. D. (2014). Attorney’s questions and children’s productivity in child sexual abuse criminal trials. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28(5), 780–788. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3048.Google Scholar

La Rooy, D., Brubacher, S., Aromäki-Stratos, A., et al. (2015). The NICHD Protocol: A review of an internationally used evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 2(1), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2015-0001.Google Scholar

Lamb, M. E., Brown, D. A., Hershkowitz, I., Orbach, Y., & Esplin, P. W. (2018). Tell me what happened: Questioning children about abuse (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Google Scholar

Lamb, M. E., Orbach, Y., Hershkowitz, I., Esplin, P. W., & Horowitz, D. (2007). A structured forensic interview protocol improves the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 1201–1231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.03.021.Google Scholar

Landström, S., Granhag, P. A., & Hartwig, M. (2007). Children’s live and videotaped testimonies: How presentation mode affects observers’ perception, assessment and memory. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 12(2), 333–348. https://doi.org/10.1348/135532506X133607.Google Scholar

Lyon, T. D. (2011). Assessing the competency of child witnesses: Best practice informed by psychology and law. In M. E., Lamb, D. La Rooy, Malloy, L. C., Katz, C. (Eds.), Children’s testimony: A handbook of psychological research and forensic practice, (pp. 69–85). Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar

Lyon, T. D. (2017). Investigative interviewing of the child. In Duquette, D. & Haralambie, A. (Eds.), Child welfare law and practice: Representing children, parents, & state agencies in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases (3rd ed., pp. 87–113). Bradford Publishing Company.Google Scholar

Lyon, T. D., Malloy, L., Quas, J. A., & Talwar, V. (2008). Coaching, truth induction, and young maltreated children’s false allegations and false denials. Child Development, 79(4), 914–929. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01167.x.Google Scholar

Lyon, T. D., & Saywitz, K. J. (1999). Young maltreated children’s competence to take the oath. Applied Developmental Science, 3(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads0301_3.Google Scholar

Malloy, L. C., Brubacher, S. P., & Lamb, M. E. (2011). Expected consequences of disclosure revealed in investigative interviews with suspected victims of child sexual abuse. Applied Developmental Science, 15(1), 8–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2011.538616.Google Scholar

Malloy, L. C., Lyon, T. D., & Quas, J. A. (2007). Filial dependency and recantation of child sexual abuse allegations. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(2), 162–170. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000246067.77953.f7.Google Scholar

Manay, N., & Collin-Vézina, D. (2021). Recipients of children’s and adolescents’ disclosures of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104192.Google Scholar

McAuliff, B. D., Lapin, J., & Michel, S. (2015). Support person presence and child victim testimony. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(4), 508–527. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2190.Google Scholar

McElvaney, R., & Culhane, M. (2017). A retrospective analysis of children’s assessment reports: What helps children tell? Child Abuse Review, 26(2), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2390.Google Scholar

McGuire, K., & London, K. (2020). A retrospective approach to examining child abuse disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 99, 104263.Google Scholar

Melkman, E. P., Hershkowitz, I., & Zur, R. (2017). Credibility assessment in child sexual abuse investigations: A descriptive analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 67, 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.01.027.Google Scholar

Nathanson, R., & Saywitz, K. J. (2015). Preparing children for court: Effects of a model court education program on children’s anxiety. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 33(4), 459–475. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2191.Google Scholar

National Children’s Advocacy Center. (2018). Foundation for the National Children’s Advocacy Center Child Forensic Interview Structure. www.nationalcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Foundation-for-the-NCAC-CFIS.pdf.Google Scholar

National Children’s Advocacy Center. (2019). National Children’s Advocacy Center’s Child Forensic Interview Structure. www.nationalcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NCAC_CFIS_Feb-2019.pdf.Google Scholar

National Children’s Advocacy Center. (2021). Multidisciplinary team. www.nationalcac.org/multidisciplinary-team/.Google Scholar

National Children’s Alliance. (2023). National standards of accreditation. www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/ncas-standards-for-accredited-members/.Google Scholar

Peterson, C. (2012). Children’s autobiographical memories across the years. Developmental Review, 32, 287–306.Google Scholar

Poole, D. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (2001). Children’s eyewitness reports after exposure to misinformation from parents. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 7(1), 27–50. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-898X.7.1.27.Google Scholar

Powell, M. B., Westera, N. J., Goodman-Delahunty, J., & Pichler, A. S. (2016). An evaluation of how evidence is elicited from complainants of child sexual abuse. Sydney, Australia: Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.Google Scholar

Principe, G. F., & London, K. (2022). How parents can shape what children remember: Implications for the testimony of young witnesses. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 11(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000059.Google Scholar

Quas, J. A., Goodman, G. S., Ghetti, S., et al. (2005). Childhood sexual assault victims: Long-term outcomes after testifying in criminal court. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 70, i–139.Google Scholar

Rudy, L. & Goodman, G. S. (1991). Effects of participation on children’s reports: Implications for children’s testimony. Developmental Psychology, 27(4), 527–538. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.27.4.527.Google Scholar

Saywitz, K. J., Lyon, T. D., & Goodman, G. S. (2017). When interviewing children: A review and update. In Conte, J. & Klika, B. (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (pp. 310–329). Sage.Google Scholar

Saywitz, K. J., & Snyder, L. (1996). Narrative elaboration: Test of a new procedure for interviewing children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64(6), 1347. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.64.6.1347.Google Scholar

Schaeffer, P., Leventhal, J. M., & Asnes, A. G. (2011). Children’s disclosures of sexual abuse: Learning from direct inquiry. Child Abuse & Neglect, 35(5), 343–352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.01.014.Google Scholar

Smith, D. W., Letourneau, E. J., Saunders, B. E., et al. (2000). Delay in disclosure of childhood rape: Results from a national survey. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(2), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00130-1.Google Scholar

Staller, K. M., & Nelson-Gardell, D. (2005). “A burden in your heart”: Lessons of disclosure from female preadolescent and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29(12), 1415–1432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.06.007.Google Scholar

Stolzenberg, S. N., Williams, S., McWilliams, K., Liang, C., & Lyon, T. D. (2021). The utility of direct questions in eliciting subjective content from children disclosing sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.02.014.Google Scholar

Tashjian, S. M., Goldfarb, D., Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., & Edelstein, R. (2016). Delay in disclosure of non-parental child sexual abuse in the context of emotional and physical maltreatment: A pilot study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 58(1), 149–159.Google Scholar

Talwar, V., & Crossman, A. M. (2012). Children’s lies and their detection: Implications for child witness testimony. Developmental Review, 32(4), 337–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.004.Google Scholar

Walsh, W. A., Jones, L. M., Cross, T. P., & Lippert, T. (2010). Prosecuting child sexual abuse: The importance of evidence type. Crime & Delinquency, 56(3), 436–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128708320484.Google Scholar

Warren, A. R., Woodall, C. E., Thomas, M., et al. (1999). Assessing the effectiveness of a training program for interviewing child witnesses. Applied Developmental Science, 3(2), 128–135. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads0302_6.Google Scholar

Zajac, R., O’Neill, S., & Hayne, H. (2012). Disorder in the courtroom? Child witnesses under cross-examination. Developmental Review, 32(3), 181–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.006.Google Scholar

Book contents

19 - Decision-Making Regarding Child Victims and Witnesses

Summary

Keywords

Access options

References

Save book to Kindle

Save book to Dropbox

Save book to Google Drive