Face-to-Face Confrontation: Effects of Closed-Circuit Technology on Children's Eyewitness Testimony and Jurors' Decisions

The present study was designed to examine effects of closed-circuit technology on children's testimony and jurors' perceptions of child witnesses. For the study, a series of elaborately staged mock trials was held. First, 5- to 6-year-old and 8- to 9-year-old children individually participated in a play session with an unfamiliar male confederate. Approximately 2 weeks later, children individually testified about the event at a downtown city courtroom. Mock juries composed of community recruits viewed the trials, with the child's testimony presented either live in open court or over closed-circuit television. Mock jurors made ratings concerning the child witness and the defendant, and deliberated to reach a verdict. Results indicated that overall, older children were more accurate witnesses than younger children. However, older, not younger children produced more inaccurate information in free recall. Compared to live testimony in open court, use of closed-circuit technology led to decreased suggestibility for younger children. Testifying in open court was also associated with children experiencing greater pretrial anxiety. Closed-circuit technology did not diminish factfinders' abilities to discriminate accurate from inaccurate child testimony, nor did it directly bias jurors against the defendant. However, closed-circuit testimony biased jurors against child witnesses. Moreover, jurors tended to base their impressions of witness credibility on perceived confidence and consistency. Implications for the use of closed- circuit technology when children testify are discussed.     

Dimensions of interparental conflict and adolescent functioning

While research has repeatedly demonstrated that interparental conflict is related to poorer child/adolescent functioning in the areas of internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as prosocial and cognitive competence, the particular relevant dimensions of the conflict have yet to be studied. The present study examined the contributions of three different dimensions of conflict to these difficulties in adolescent functioning. Forty-eight mother-father-adolescent triads participated by completing questionnaires regarding the following dimensions of their interparental conflict: frequency, method of handling, and outcome. Assessment of adolescent functioning was obtained independently through teacher-completed measures of internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial and cognitive functioning. The results of correlational analyses indicated that father-completed measures, particularly the use of verbal and physical aggression to handle conflict, were related to all four measures of adolescent functioning. In contrast, mother-completed measures were not related. Multiple regression analyses were also conducted. For all four measures, either father physical or father verbal aggression entered first and accounted for 17 to 48% of the variance across the four dependent measures. No other indices of conflict individually accounted for a significant portion of the variance beyond that accounted for by father's verbal or physical aggression. Possible explanations for the relationship between father's method of handling of conflict and adolescent functioning are discussed.     

A Vigilante Model of Justice: Revenge,Reconciliation, Forgiveness,and Avoidance

Once a working relationship is damaged through an act of injustice, how do the victim and offender repair their relationship? What causes the victim to let go of the anger and resentment and then reconcile with the offender? We propose a theory that the likelihood of forgiveness and reconciliation is greatly enhanced, and revenge and avoidance greatly decreased, if justice is first served. That is, forgiveness follows justice; without justice, forgiveness is much less likely. Justice may be served one of three ways: (1) by the victim evening the score; (2) by the organization punishing the offender; or (3) by the offender repenting. We recommend that managers establish a procedurally just climate so that victims of offense seek distributive justice through formal channels rather than seeking it themselves through revenge.