Criminal Justice Outcomes of Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse: A Case Flow Analysis

• NCJ Number: 160272
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1995) Pages: 1431-1442
• Author(s): T P Cross; D Whitcomb; E De Vos
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 87-MC-CX-0026; 92-MC-CX-0008; 90CA1368; 90CA1450
• Sponsoring Agency: University of North Carolina; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); National Ctr on Child Abuse and Neglect
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The progress and disposition of 552 child sexual abuse cases referred for prosecution in four urban jurisdictions during a 1-year period in 1988 and 1989 were studied.

Abstract

The research used data from Erie County (N.Y.), Polk County (Iowa), Ramsey County (Minn.), and San Diego County (Calif.). Results revealed that most cases were accepted for prosecution. The vast majority of cases carried forward for prosecution resulted in guilty pleas. Only 9 percent of the total sample went to trial. A majority of the small number that went to trial were convicted. More than three-quarters of those convicted were incarcerated. The rate at which cases were carried forward for prosecution and convicted was comparable to that of a national sample of general felony arrests, but child sexual abuse cases were significantly more likely to go to trial and received more severe sentences. Results were consistent with those from previous studies of prosecution of child sexual abuse. Findings suggest the need for a new understanding of the prosecution of child sexual abuse that takes into account the large proportion of cases that do not go to trial. Tables, figure, and 19 references (Author abstract modified)