NCJ Number
113859
Date Published
1988
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Almost 90 percent of child sexual abuse cases do not go to prosecution, often because of problems involving the rights of the accused, the child's competency to testify, and the trauma that testifying can cause the child.
Abstract
Expert witness testimony by health professionals of the behavior of abused children is being recognized by some courts as a method of corroborating the child's testimony. Additionally, health professionals are sometimes called upon to interpret the statements of abused children to third parties. This exception to the hearsay rule for presenting evidence is discussed in detail. The article concludes with advice to health professionals who would function as expert witnesses. 33 references.