NCJ Number
147602
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1994) Pages: 3-87
Editor(s)
A J Tomkins,
M A Small
Date Published
1994
Length
85 pages
Annotation
Five articles discuss issues and research pertinent to children victimized by violence.
Abstract
The first article reports on research that measured public attitudes toward capital punishment for juvenile killers. Findings show that society is sensitive to the age of a perpetrator who commits a heinous criminal act, as subjects showed a pronounced ambivalence about executing adolescent killers. Another article provides anecdotal evidence of the devastating impact of war on children. The authors argue for the application of international law to protect such children. The remaining three articles address issues of child maltreatment. One presents the results of a preliminary inquiry into childrens' perceptions of what kinds of acts constitute physical abuse. These findings are compared with other research that examined perceptions of child physical abuse held by professional and nonprofessional adult samples. Another article examines the myriad of interests that must be considered on behalf of all parties affected by the application of child abuse reporting statutes. The final article discusses how State statutes of limitations should be modified to permit legal actions against perpetrators of child abuse when their victims do not admit the abuse into their awareness until long after the abuse occurred. Article tables and references