The Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations: A Comprehensive Guide to Assessment and Testimony

Description

The editors of this collection are experienced practitioners and teachers of forensic psychology. They have collected chapters written by nationally and internationally respected experts in applied research and practice to provide others with their best advice and knowledge on conducting evaluations for and testifying in court.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Improved Forensic Interviewing: The Legacy of the McMartin Preschool Case (John Myers).

Part I. Applying Clinical Decision Research To Increase The Accuracy Of Sexual Abuse Evaluations.

• 1. Methods For The Identification Of Sexually Abused Children: Overview Of Issues And Needed Features For Abuse Indicators (David Faust, Ana J. Bridges, and David Ahern).
• 2. Methods For The Identification Of Sexually Abused Children: Re-Framing The Clinician's Task And Recognizing Its Disparity With Research On Indicators (Ana J. Bridges, David Faust, and David Ahern).
• 3. Methods For The Identification Of Sexually Abused Children: Suggestions For Clinical Work And Research (David Faust, Ana J. Bridges, and David Ahern).

Part II. Professional Roles And Ethics.

• 4. Professional Roles: Key To Accuracy And Effectiveness (Charles Clark).
• 5. Ethical Issues In Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations (Gerald Koocher).

Part III. Children’s Behavior: Critical Factors.

• 6. Child Development: Normative Sexual And Non-Sexual Behaviors That May Be Confused With Symptoms Of Sexual Abuse (Debra A. Poole and Michele A. Wolfe).
• 7. The Continuum Of Children's Sexual Behavior: Moral And Legal Considerations (Kathryn Kuehnle, Jessica Gurney, and H.D. Kirkpatrick).

Part IV. Children's Reports: Fundamental Issues.

• 8. Normative Memory Development And The Child Witness (J. Zoe Klemfuss, Stephen Ceci, and Maggie Bruck).
• 9. Children's Resistance To Suggestion (Latonya Harris, Gail Goodman, Else Marie Augusti, Yoojin Chae, and Deborah Alley).
• 10. Recollections Of Childhood Trauma: Repression And Recovery Of Memories During Childhood And Adolescence (Andrea Greenhoot and Monica Tsethlikai).

Part V. Forensic Interview Of The Child.

• 11. Forensic Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations: Accuracy, Ethics, And Admissibility (Steve Herman).
• 12. Children's Suggestibility: Areas Of Consensus And Controversy (Lindsay C. Malloy and Jodi Quas).
• 13. Interview Protocols: Adherence To Best Practice (Deirdre Brown and Michael E. Lamb).
• 14. Repeated Interviewing: A Critical Evaluation Of The Risks And Potential Benefits (David La Rooy, Michael E. Lamb, and Margaret-Ellen Pipe).

Part VI. Techniques: Interference Versus Facilitation.

• 15. The Pros And Cons Of Using Dolls, Drawing, Body Diagrams And Other Props In Investigative Interviews (Margaret-Ellen Pipe and Karen Salmon).
• 16. Unsupported Assessment Techniques In Child Sexual Abuse Evaluations (Daniel Murrie, David Martindale, and Monica Epstein).

Part VII. A National Movement: Child Interview Centers.

• 17. The Child Advocacy Center Model (Mary Connell).
• 18. The Extended Forensic Evaluation (Mary Connell).

Part VIII. Analysis Of The Data: Opinions And The Court.

• 19. The Return Of The Ultimate Issue: Talking To The Court In Child Sexual Abuse Cases (Daniel Shuman and Bill Austin).
• 20. Jurors And Professionals In The Legal System: What They Know And What They Should Know About Interviewing Child Witnesses (Julie A. Buck and Amye Warren).

Author Index.
Subject Index.
Appendix. National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol.

Author information

KATHRYN KUEHNLE, PhD, is Research Assistant Professor with the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy at Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, and is in private practice in Florida. She specializes in evaluating and treating cases involving child maltreatment and is the author of Assessing Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse.

MARY CONNELL, EdD, ABPP, is certified as a forensic psychologist by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is in independent practice in¿Texas and provides training on parenting assessment and forensic ethics in workshops sponsored by the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. She is coauthor of Ethical Practice in Forensic Psychology: A Systematic Model for Decision Making.