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Investigator’s Checklist for Use in Suspected
Cases of Physical Child Abuse
Far too often police investigating a child’s injuries will
let their emotions interfere. It should be remembered that the
child abuse investigation process, if performed correctly, will
ultimately determine which injuries were nonaccidental. The
following are some important questions and issues to be considered
when investigating a suspected case of child abuse.
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Begin by asking questions about the child’s
family history, substance abuse or other environmental factors
in the home, and the parents’ marital status, employment
history, or unrealistic expectations of the child.
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How could the child’s behavior or the caretaker’s stress
have contributed to the crisis?
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Could the child do what the caretakers told you he or she
did?
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Is the child a “target” child (a child perceived by the parent(s)
as having negative characteristics), or are there target
children present?
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Was there any delay in treatment or was hospital
“shopping” involved?
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What are the locations, configurations, and distributions of
the bruises, welts, lacerations, abrasions, or burns?
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Do the injuries appear to have been caused by the hands or
an instrument? Can you determine what instrument might
have been used?
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Are multiple injuries (in various stages of healing) present?
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Are the injuries within the primary target zone (the back, from the neck to
the back of the knees and including the shoulders and arms) and on more than
one leading edge
(the outside of the arm or leg, etc.) of the body?
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Can you determine the positions of the offender and the child during the attack?
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Is there any evidence of attempts to hold the child in a
certain position or at a certain angle during the attack?
Are there such control marks on the wrists, forearms,
or biceps?
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Was a careful check made for injuries on the head, mouth, ears, and nose?
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