NCJ Number
128576
Date Published
1990
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This paper examines how the criminal justice system has coped with child sexual abuse and how it is likely to respond in the future.
Abstract
Child-sexual-abuse cases are difficult to adjudicate and are traumatic for the victims. Several, often interrelated, factors combine to make these cases problematic, including the victim's age, the number of agencies potentially involved in the investigation, the media attention generated by such cases, the time involved in conducting a thorough investigation, and the psychological and emotional trauma victims may experience as a result of the investigation. Research in three counties indicates that child molesters, compared to other sex offenders, were less often given long periods of incarceration and were more often placed on probation with the condition that they receive counseling or treatment. A major criminal-justice response to these cases has been the establishment of innovative and special techniques designed to improve case management and reduce the trauma for the child victim. One of the most comprehensive responses has been the use of multidisciplinary teams that include the prosecutor, police, and social-service resource personnel. This approach is apparently effective but has yet to be empirically tested. Special techniques have been developed for interviewing children (including using anatomical dolls) and for presenting their testimony (videotape, closed-circuit television, excluding outsiders from courtrooms). The impact of such practices on defendants' rights is still being debated. 23 references