PRETRIAL INTERVIEWING

This article is the winning essay in the 1995 Law School Essay Contest. It provides a thoughtful set of criteria for evaluating the validity of evidence presented in alleged child sexual abuse cases.     

Studying traffic stop encounters

Racial profiling has received significant consideration in recent years as politicians, police, academics, the media, advocacy groups, and the general public attempt to understand and assess the extent to which this practice occurs in the nation. Despite considerable attention and the investment of substantial financial resources, the question of whether racial profiling exists has eluded a conclusive answer. As more efforts are made to study police traffic stop data, it is crucial that researchers have an understanding of the associated methodological issues. This article considers traffic stop studies from a methodological perspective, discussing the challenges associated with conducting meaningful research of police officer decision making patterns in traffic stop encounters. Using data from a Midwestern community, as well as the experiences of researchers across the country, the authors illustrate and discuss implications for data collection, variables, and data analysis.     

Liability for sexual harassment in criminal justice agencies

This article focuses on sexual harassment in criminal justice agencies from a legal perspective. The article briefly describes sexual harassment cases that address agency liability decided by the United States Supreme Court, discussing the standards of liability articulated in Burlington Industries Inc. v. Ellerth (1998), Faragher v. City of Boca Raton (1998), and Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (1986). A more precise understanding of when agencies are liable for the actions of their subordinates is developed through an examination of lower federal court decisions. Trends in the law are identified, as case law is categorized according to harassment by supervisors and co-workers. The article concludes by exploring the policy implications flowing from court decisions and by calling for further research on this troubling aspect of the criminal justice workplace.     

Is Age Irrelevant? Perceptions of Young and Old Adult Eyewitnesses

In Experiment 1, we videotaped elderly and younger adults (n = 69) reporting their memories for a crime video. The seniors were significantly less accurate than the younger adults. In Experiment 2, participants viewed the testimony videotapes and rated the elderly as less credible than the younger adults. In Experiment 3, participant-jurors (n = 302) evaluated transcribed testimonies provided by Experiment 1 participants. The ostensible age of the witnesses was manipulated. Thus, some participants read a senior's testimony believing it was provided by a younger adult and vice versa. Participants were apparently not biased by negative stereotypes of seniors' eyewitness capabilities.