The paper first considers three judicial venues in which children often have an integral role: divorce/custody proceedings, typically in a family, probate, or domestic relations court; child protection or "dependency" proceedings, typically in the juvenile court; and adult criminal proceedings. The few methodologically sound studies of mental health outcomes for children involved in the criminal justice system suggest that many sexually abused children experience varying degrees of stress when asked to testify in a traditional courtroom setting. Primary sources of stress are apparently the presence of the defendant and, for younger children, the courtroom setting itself. The research has failed to show any lasting negative effects on most children of involvement in the justice system. Regarding efforts to alleviate the stress of legal interventions on child victims, research indicates that the most radical and controversial courtroom reforms, such as child testimony via closed circuit television or videotape and closing the courtroom to spectators, are seldom needed and rarely used. Instead, several systemic reforms, such as court preparation and the streamlining of the interview process, can alleviate stress and anxiety for child victims. Other interventions are widely believed to benefit child victims but have not yet been evaluated. These include the assignment of court appointed special advocates in civil dependency proceedings; the establishment of Children's Advocacy Centers, which offer a child-friendly setting and a consolidated interview process; videotaping the child's statement, so as to reduce the number of interviews; and giving the children a direct voice in criminal proceedings by allowing them to enter a victim impact statement at sentencing. 45 references