NCJ Number
215598
Date Published
2006
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents research on child abuse and neglect and reviews the goals of intervention by criminal justice and social service professionals.
Abstract
Definitions of child physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse are presented and the prevalence of the problem is considered. Data from 1986 suggest that 25 out of every 1,000 children in the United States were victims of abuse and more recent research has confirmed that the number of child abuse victims in the United States almost doubled between 1986 and 1993. The characteristics of both victims of child abuse and their perpetrators are described, which suggests that children between the ages of 6 and 7 years and those between the ages of 10 and 12 years are at the highest risk for abuse victimization. Parents are the most common perpetrator in child abuse cases, with younger and birth parents more likely to abuse their children than other parent types. The goals of criminal justice and social service intervention are outlined, which include the three primary goals of ensuring the immediate safety of the child, reducing the trauma of the immediate family situation, and determining whether a criminal act has occurred. Next, the steps involved in the crisis intervention process for child abuse cases are described, which require interviewing the alleged victim, the parents, the alleged perpetrator if this is someone other than the parents, and possibly witnesses. Research on how to successfully interview child victims is presented, followed by discussions on interviewing perpetrators and parents not suspected of abuse perpetration. Aspects of the child abuse investigation and case outcome options, such as removal of the child from the home or removal of the perpetrator from the home, are considered. The author closes with discussions of diversity issues in child abuse investigations and the effects of the intervention on the family and the child victim. The chapter concludes with discussion questions, simulated exercises, and a listing of Internet resources. Appendix, references