Using Dolls to Interview Child Victims: Concerns and Interview Procedures

• NCJ Number: 108470
• Author(s): K R Freeman; T Estrada-mullaney
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 6 pages
• Grant Number(s): 86-IJ-CX-0082
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

Increasingly, police and prosecutors are using anatomical dolls in interviews with victims of child sexual abuse.

Abstract

Such dolls can be used in investigative interviews, case evaluation, and during courtroom testimony. The use of dolls can aid in establishing rapport and reducing stress for the victim, establishing competency, reducing vocabulary problems, and showing what may be difficult to discuss for the child. Some critics have suggested that anatomical dolls may suggest abuse and sexual impropriety, can be used in ways contrary to accepted protocol, and may appear bizarre and frightening to children. When planning the interview, the interviewer should take into account the age of the child, whether or not there have been earlier interviews, and the results of those interviews. When using dolls, the interviewer should inspect them, read accompanying manuals, and ascertain that the dolls are appropriate in appearance and scale. Used appropriately, anatomical dolls can be an effective way of helping children explain what happened to them and determining the child's sexual vocabulary. Used improperly, their use can block communication, inhibit a proper case filing decision, and cause case problems related to charges of coaching the child witness. 15 references.