Child Witnesses and the Confrontation Clause

• NCJ Number: 129011
• Journal: Law and Human Behavior Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1991) Pages: 13-29
• Author(s): G S Goodman; M Levine; G B Melton; D W Ogden
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In Maryland versus Craig, the United States Supreme Court relied heavily on a brief prepared by a committee of the American Psychology-Law Society on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA).

Abstract

The APA brief concluded that sexually abused children may be particularly vulnerable to distress in the legal process, especially when forced to confront the defendant face to face, and that such acute distress may be inconsistent with the State's interests in promotion of reliable testimony and child welfare. APA also argued that psychological theory and research provide foundations for individualized determination of the need for measures to protect children from face-to-face confrontation. 51 notes (Author abstract)