NCJ Number
88187
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article discusses case management, legal issues, and therapeutic concerns involved in the handling of child sexual abuse cases at Illinois' Juvenile Court of Cook County.
Abstract
The article is based partly on data describing the experiences gained in providing service to a sample of 55 sexually abusing families referred to the Court's Special Services Unit during the first 9 months of 1980. In the 55 families, 72 children were the victims of sexual abuse. There were 59 abusers, of whom 33 percent were natural fathers. The average age of the child victim was 10, with 96 percent of the victims being female. Thirty-nine percent of the families were Caucasian. All of the referred families were described as being dysfunctional; they differed only in the degree and type of dysfunction. All abusers were males who were described as having low self-esteem, poor impulse control, a high degree of guilt, and an inability to experience intimacy in relationships. Nonabusing mothers were categorized as passive, dominant, absent, disabled, or nuturing. The majority of mothers were described by unit probation officers as weak, unassertive, and overdependent. Families involved in child sexual abuse can be categorized into three types: the family-without-abuser, in which the nonabusing mother and victims are clients, and the abuser has permanently left the family; the family which has remained together, in which treatment emphasizes the effect each member has on the total system of relationships among family members; and the victim without a family, where reunification is unlikely. The court's approach to the management and treatment of child sexual abuse is designed to assure the protection of the child victim from additional harm. Seven references are provided.