Obtaining Information from Children in the Justice System |
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| Authors: | Erna Olafson Julie Kenniston |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine;2. Director of Training and Education at Butler County Children Services in Hamilton, Ohio |
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| Abstract: | Even young children can provide accurate accounts of experienced events if adults question them skillfully. However, most justice system personnel receive little training in evidence‐based methods to question children non‐suggestively and with developmental sensitivity. This paper summarizes key research findings about child forensic interviewing. It concludes with recommendations for judges and other justice system personnel who must engage in age‐appropriate consultation with children and outlines steps judges can take to establish evidence‐based interviewing practices by court personnel in their jurisdictions. |
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