As the COVID-19 pandemic produces quarantines, school closures, and limited interactions between children and mandated reporters, prosecutors and other members of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) will likely be confronted with two challenges.
Many child protection professionals believe child abuse is likely to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic because most abusers are parents or siblings who now have more complete access to the child victim.
I believe we can end child abuse in the United States within three generations. If we start the clock ticking from this moment, this gives us 120 years to get the job done.
The little girl was weeping as she recounted to the police officer her history of sexual abuse at the hands of her father.
A position paper from Gundersen NCPTC and the ChildFirst®/Finding Words forensic interview training programs
In late August, 2013, USA Swimming contracted with the National Child Protection Training Center, a program of Gundersen Health System, to conduct an independent assessment of USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program.
In late August, 2013, USA Swimming contracted with the National Child Protection Training Center, a program of Gundersen Health System, to conduct an independent assessment of USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program
In the past five years, a number of child protection leaders and organizations have held discussions or even offered proposals for the credentialing or certification of forensic interviewers
In the past decade, a number of child protection leaders and organizations have held discussions or even offered proposals for the credentialing or certification of forensic interviewers
In many cases of child sexual and physical abuse, perpetrators use religious or spiritual themes to justify their abuse of a child.
Like most pet owners, I have experienced how therapeutic a pet’s unconditional love can be during times of stress. It has not surprised me, therefore, to see many organizations, counselors and health care professionals formally recognize this.
Many articles have been written about police interrogations of suspects and recording technology for custodial interviews. However, little has been written about the utilization of recording technology for child forensic interviews.
In the mid-1990s, as a new assistant prosecutor in Michigan assigned to District Court, much of my misdemeanor criminal trial docket was filled with domestic violence cases.
In everycase of child sexual abuse, thereis a crime scene that needs to beinspected and photographed.
As empirical research continues to both support and challenge the credibility of children’s statements regarding alleged sexual victimization, child abuse investigators, legal professionals and judicial officers seek reliable methods of determining the trustworthiness of the reports children provide
Olmsted County Child & Family Services in Rochester, Minnesota, developed a family case conferencing approach in the juvenile court system involving children determined to be a thigh risk of maltreatment
The single most important advantage a multidisciplinary team or lone investigator has in any type of child abuse investigation is the “Investigative Window of Opportunity(IWOP).”
Simply put, whatever the MDT does or does not do as part of the forensic interviewing process, including peer review, will be attacked by defense counsel.
The importance of the prosecutor’s opening statement in a case of child abuse cannot be overstated.At the close of voire dire, which can be a lengthy process,jurors are anxious to see what the case is really about and many jurors will develop a bias in favor of or opposed to the government’s case based on the prosecutor’s opening statement. Although an opening statement is not an argument for finding a defendant guilty, it can be equally persuasive
In the previous issue of Center Piece, I discussed a number of factors that prosecutors must keep in mind when presenting an opening statement
The importance of the prosecutor’s opening statement in a case of child abuse cannot be overstated
In Giles v.California,2008 U.S. Lexis 5264, 1 (U. S. June 25, 2008), the United States Supreme Court, in a deeply fractured opinion, held that the forfeiture by wrongdoing exception to confrontation could only be used to admit testimonial out-of-court statements when the prosecutor could show the defendant acted intentionally with the purpose of causing the witness to be unavailable to testify at trial.
Testifying in court is often stressful for children. Numerous studies document that children have very little, if any, understanding of legal processes
Interviews of alleged child abuse victims and witnesses are often the primary source of information on possible criminal activities
Zero Abuse Project is a 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to the elimination of child sexual abuse. Our programs are designed to provide training and education to professionals and students, and to help transform institutions to effectively prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse.
