NCJ Number
183184
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 109-118
Editor(s)
Mark Chaffin
Date Published
2000
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The authors argue that child sexual abuse interviews can go astray in two different ways: improper interviewing has the potential to elicit false allegations from children, and clumsy interviewing does not typically produce false allegations but may have other negative consequences, particularly for child victims.
Abstract
The article clarifies the distinction between the two kinds of bad interviewing and suggests that clumsy interviewing is the more common of the two. Potential negative consequences of both improper and clumsy interviewing are described, along with implications for prosecutors, police, and child protection services. The authors believe that improper interviewing can probably be eliminated rather easily but that clumsy interviewing may be considerably more resistant to change. Good interviewing methods are noted that are based on five quality areas: (1) personal warmth, friendliness, and tact; (2) demonstrated ability to work with children; (3) previous formal training in counseling or interviewing; (4) ability to change in response to feedback; and (5) master's degree or above-average academic performance as an undergraduate. 65 references