NCJ Number
153414
Journal
Virginia Child Protection Newsletter Volume: 43 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 1-5,7,13-16
Editor(s)
J Grayson
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Professionals are divided on the issue of children's testimony, particularly in child abuse cases; opinions range from believing that children never lie to believing that children's testimony is essentially untrustworthy.
Abstract
Questions are increasingly being raised about the credibility of young witnesses and the competency of children to testify. Research has been conducted that describes the attitudes of jurors toward child witnesses, factors related to the child's presentation of information that appear to influence credibility, the competency of children as witnesses, and issues associated with the credibility of young witnesses. Research indicates that witness credibility is affected by developmental issues related to the child's ability to remember, the effect of trauma on memory, motivational issues such as fear and deliberate lying, suggestibility, and stress factors associated with the forensic process. Further, research shows that several factors affect the child's ability to remember and/or relate events accurately, such as trauma, coercion to keep secrets, coaching or lying, suggestibility, methods used to interview or question children, and the forensic process itself. Understanding the child's developmental processes and how they relate to memory and communication is essential to a fair and thorough investigation of child abuse.