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Talk to Me: An Analysis of Statutes Regulating Police Interviews of Child Victims
Author(s) -
Klein Michael,
Dorsch Caitlin,
Hemmens Craig
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/jfcj.12162
Subject(s) - testimonial , interview , statutory law , statute , economic justice , criminology , psychology , juvenile delinquency , balance (ability) , set (abstract data type) , political science , sexual abuse , law , poison control , suicide prevention , medicine , medical emergency , business , computer science , neuroscience , advertising , programming language
Children can be unreliable witnesses, and they are especially vulnerable to questionable interview practices. However, in some crimes like child sexual abuse, children may be the only person capable of providing testimonial evidence. States must balance the needs of bringing criminals who target children to justice and ensuring that due process is upheld to reduce the chances of false convictions. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has published a set best‐practices for the interviewing of children to achieve this balance. This article conducts a statutory analysis to determine if states are currently following the recommendations of the OJJDP.