NCJ Number
185615
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 373-383
Date Published
November 2000
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article examines the impact of DNA evidence in a child sexual assault trial.
Abstract
Two experiments investigated the impact of DNA evidence in a child sexual assault (CSA) case involving a 6-year-old alleged victim. In the first experiment, participants read criminal trial summaries of CSA cases in which only DNA evidence was presented, only the alleged child victim's testimony was presented, or both forms of evidence were presented. When DNA evidence was presented, there were more guilty verdicts and greater belief of the alleged victim than when only the alleged victim testified. In the second experiment, DNA evidence was countered by an alibi witness testifying as to the defendant's whereabouts at the time of the alleged assault. The alibi witness reduced the influence of DNA evidence compared with presentation of DNA evidence without the witness. These experiments demonstrated that the impact of DNA evidence on a child sexual assault trial is powerful but not absolute. The impact of DNA evidence will continue to be important, given technological advances in how it is obtained, analyzed, and interpreted. Tables, appendix, references