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 In 1981, more than 300 such programs were identified by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (unpublished list).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.     

Meeting basic needs in Asia,Part II: Improving the performance of government and local communities

In nearly all Asian countries services available to rural populations are inadequate and inappropriate. Improvement is crucial not only to fulfilling basic human needs, but for raising productivity and generating more broadly based economic development. This article reviews the types of obstacles in the way of improving service delivery, and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the major institutional arrangements for delivering services. In the light of this review the article identifies four issues of major importance, first, the priority to be given to providing social and productive services; second, the most appropriate approach to delivering social and productive services; third, how to finance social services more effectively; and finally what alternative means there are of improving the administration of services. This article follows on from Part I which presented a comparative review of service needs in Asian countries.