Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse Intervention: The Impact of Juvenile Court Hearings and Felony Trial Diversions

Traditional felony prosecutions of child sexual abusers are problematic because physical evidence is uncommon (Bulkley, 1982b), making the charges difficult to prove. In such instances, the case will hinge on the testimony of the child victim, who may be secondarily victimized by the process. When the accused is a family member, the problem is compounded if the child is afraid to testify against a relative (Costin, et al, 1991). Necessary treatment for the offender andvictim is not forthcoming in traditional felony litigation and the already disrupted family will suffer further. As a corrective response, mental health and legal professionals have collaborated to create innovative intervention strategies in many jurisdictions. In 1981, more than 300 such programs were identified by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (unpublished list). The number is probably higher today. This article investigates child sexual abuse intervention strategies by focusing on three jurisdictions in which felony trial diversions, juvenile court petitions, and treatment programs are intertwined into intervention strategies for first-time, intrafamilial offenders. The purpose of this article is to describe the three programs, then analyze the strategies to determine the type of services each client received.     

Melatonin concentrations in the sudden infant death syndrome

To examine a possible relationship between pineal function and the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), samples of whole blood, ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or vitreous humor (VH) were obtained at autopsy from 68 infants (45 male, 23 female) whose deaths were attributed to either SIDS (n = 32, 0.5-5.0 months of age; mean +/- S.E.M., 2.6 +/- 0.2 months) or other causes (non-SIDS, n = 36, 0.3-8.0 months of age 4.3 +/- 0.3 months). The melatonin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. A significant correlation was observed for melatonin levels in different body fluids from the same individual. After adjusting for age differences, CSF melatonin levels were significantly lower among the SIDS infants (91 +/- 29 pmol/l; n = 32) than among those dying of other causes (180 +/- 27; n = 35, P less than 0.05). A similar, but non-significant trend was also noted in blood (97 +/- 23, n = 30 vs. 144 +/- 22 pmol/l, n = 33) and vitreous humor (68 +/- 21, n = 10 vs. 81 +/- 17 pmol/l, n = 15). These differences do not appear to be explainable in terms of the interval between death and autopsy, gender, premortem infection or therapeutic measures instituted prior to death. Diminished melatonin production may be characteristic of SIDS and could represent an impairment in the maturation of physiologic circadian organization.