Investigating and litigating cases of interpersonal violence is difficult. With child and elder abuse, the vulnerability of the victim makes the work emotionally as well as legally taxing. With domestic violence, the tendency of some victims to

Contains bottom lineÓ information on family violence from articles written by researchers about their own work or other researchers' work on subjects of immediate concern to practitioners: collaborative efforts between police & protection agencies, arrest policies, protection orders, battered women defense strategies, sentencing, batterer treatment, child sexual abuse, & children's testimony. Represents only those that relate specifically to how the criminal justice system addresses family violence. Includes sections on legal interventions in child maltreatment cases, elder abuse cases, & domestic violence cases.

Perspectives on Children's Testimony presents current empirical research on the factors which influence adults' perceptions of the child witness. This volume provides researchers in both the psychological and the criminal justice communities with knowledge about adult beliefs regarding child witnesses, how these beliefs may influence jury verdicts, and the relationship of these perceptions to the credibility and accuracy of children's testimony. A variety of new techniques are employed in assessing adult views of child witnesses. Special features of the volume include: an in-depth treatment of techniques of interviewing child victims of sexual abuse, an examination of children's perceptions and knowledge of the legal system, and critical and theoretical integrations of the original, empirical papers.

The sexual abuse of children is now seen as an enormous problem; first, because there is an increasing awareness that it is more prevalent than previously thought, and second, because it gives rise to so many complex questions. How is sexual abuse to be defined? What are the effects of abuse? How can the victim be helped? How can abuse be prevented? These two comprehensive volumes cover a wide spectrum of basic and applied issues. Expert contributors -- including physicians, attorneys, psychologists, philosophers, social workers, and engineers -- address such relevant topics as epidemiology, animal models, legal reforms, feminist scholarship, child pornography, medical assessment, and diverse models of psychotherapeutic intention.

This book considers how human rights law can help define what could and should be done to protect children from sexual maltreatment. The volume explores diverse forms of sexual maltreatment, compares societal responses to existing research and policies, uncovers basic themes, and proposes directions for future action. Roger Levesque places particular emphasis on the ways abusive activities in different countries and societies are linked with one another and the way diverse societal views of children place them at risk.

This book is intended to describe what is known and what is not known (but needs to be known) in several specific areas of childhood abuse. Chapters include sexual offenders, child's memory, adult memory for trauma and victims in court.

Children's Testimony offers a comprehensive and up-to-dateassessment of issues relating to children's evidence. Starting withpsychological underpinnings and child protection considerations,the reader is taken through a clearly structured and timelycollection of chapters from internationally renownedcontributors. Pointers for practitioners are clearly highlighted throughout and aunique, jargon-free glossary of psychological terms encountered inchild witness research is included making this a highly practicaltext. * An accessible review of existing knowledge and preview of new andrecent developments in psychological research and forensicpractice * An outstanding group of international contributors * Offers a broad scope that considers all the key areas of researchand practice