Interviewing Children In and Out of Court: Current Research and Practice Implications (From APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment, P 297-318, 1996, John Briere, Lucy Berliner, et al, eds. - See NCJ-172299)

• NCJ Number: 172315
• Author(s): K J Saywitz; G S Goodman
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 22 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Ctr on Child Abuse and Neglect
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Research on children's testimony in court has provided valuable insights regarding children's abilities and needs as witnesses.

Abstract

Given the complexities and seriousness of child abuse and the fact that a case may boil down to a child's word against an adult's word, the accuracy of children's testimony and the best way to obtain children's statements are matters of substantial societal concern. Recent findings from child witness research are presented that focus on memory and susceptibility, children's communicative competence and legal knowledge, the court process, children in the courtroom, and the need for and use of special court procedures in cases involving child witnesses. Implications of the findings of child witness research for children's performance in pretrial interviews and legal proceedings are discussed. The need for interview protocols to be sensitive to individual differences among children and to different cultural expectations across ethnic groups is emphasized. The authors conclude that age alone is not a measure of a child's ability to provide accurate testimony in court and that the context in which a child testifies can bolster or undermine a child's performance and emotional resilience. 106 references