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

Civil Suits for Damages

NCJ Number
158446
Date Published
1993
Length
0 pages
Annotation
These four audio cassettes present the transcripts of presentations regarding professional roles, techniques, and issues related to civil suits for damages in cases of child sexual abuse; the presentations were given at the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children's Second National Colloquium in June 1993.
Abstract
Speaking to a multidisciplinary audience of attorneys and clinicians, the speakers covered a wide range of issues related to the handling of these cases. They noted that cases involving child victims must be distinguished from cases involving adult survivors of child sexual abuse. The two types of cases require different approaches, analyses, and legal and forensic issues. They also noted that the attorneys involved in such cases must be sensitive to the issues involved and must maintain regular contact with their client, even when nothing is happening with respect to the case. They noted also that cases and clients vary tremendously and that it is important to assess the viability of each case. Victim cooperation is an important factor as well.