Children's Memory and Testimony (From Forensic Psychology in Context: Nordic and International Approaches, P 117-138, 2010, Par Anders Granhag, ed. - See NCJ-232718)

• NCJ Number: 232719
• Author(s): Annika Melinder; Julia Korkman
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 22 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After reviewing research on child witness issues that are frequently discussed and debated, both within the research community and among practitioners, this chapter discusses some of the main areas of research on child memory and testimony.

Abstract

The chapter first presents an overview of the rights of children involved in legal proceedings in the various Nordic countries. This is followed by the analysis of a case that illustrates the complexity of child witness issues; the case occurred in a small community in Norway, in which a preschool teacher, the sheriff, and several other individuals were suspected of committing sexual abuse against 61 preschool-aged children. A major section of the chapter addresses "memory development and individual factors of relevance to children's testimonies." The topics discussed in this section are memory development, suggestibility, source monitoring, executive functions, and repeated interviews. Next, a section on forensic protocols presents three different interview protocols - the Stepwise Interview Protocol, the cognitive interview, and the NICHD (National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in the United States) protocol - which represent those most commonly used in interviewing children. The chapter's final section reviews research from the Nordic countries related to child interview practice. It focuses on the establishment of the Children's House model in Iceland and subsequent development of this model in other Nordic countries. In Iceland, the Children's House was established in 1998 to create a place where the various authorities involved in investigating claims of child sexual abuse could come together in order to avoid duplication of effort and improve the effectiveness of investigations. The Children's House contains a specially designed interview room with closed-circuit television and a video link to a conference room in the Children's House that serves as a courtroom in one of Iceland's courthouses. 84 references