U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Televised Testimony as an Alternative in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

NCJ Number
116833
Journal
Criminal Law Bulletin Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: (March-April 1989) Pages: 164-175
Author(s)
B Bjerregaard
Date Published
1989
Length
12 pages
Annotation
In coy v. U.S., Supreme Court struck down the use of a screening device that prevented the complaining witness in a child sexual abuse case from viewing the defendant.
Abstract
The author considers an alternative device: two-way closed-circuit television. She analyzes the constitutional and strategic problems it presents in the typical child abuse prosecution. She argues that the prosecution must show that the use of two-way closed-circuit television is necessary because of the significant harm to the child that would be caused by face-to-face confrontation. This article also specifies strict guidelines for the transmission of closed-circuit television that best protects the interests of the victim and the accused. (Author abstract)