The field of children's testimony is in turmoil, but a resolution to seemingly intractable debates now appears attainable. In this review, we place the current disagreement in historical context and describe psychological and legal views of child witnesses held by scholars since the turn of the 20th century. Although there has been consistent interest in children's suggestibility over the past century, the past 15 years have been the most active in terms of the number of published studies and novel theorizing about the causal mechanisms that underpin the observed findings. A synthesis of this research posits three "families " of factors—cognitive, social, and biological—that must be considered if one is to understand seemingly contradictory interpretations of the findings. We conclude that there are reliable age differences in suggestibility but that even very young children are capable of recalling much that is forensically relevant. Findings are discussed in terms of the role of expert witnesses. Since the turn of the century, psycholegal scholars have examined the suggestibility of children's testimony in an effort to determine whether they would be credible witnesses. A major issue in this research concerns the degree to which heightened

The primary purpose of The Future of Children is to disseminate timely information on major issues related to children’s well-being, with special emphasis on providing objective analysis and evaluation, translating existing knowledge into effective programs and policies, and promoting constructive institutional change. In attempting to achieve these objectives, we are targeting a multidisciplinary audience of national leaders, including policymakers, practitioners, legislators, executives, and professionals in the public and private sectors. This publication is intended to complement, not duplicate, the kind of technical analysis found in academic journals and the general coverage of children’s issues by the popular press and special interest groups. In this issue of The Future of Children, we focus on the difficult and emotionally charged problem of the sexual abuse of children. This is an important topic because it compromises the lives of a large number of children, although the precise number is uncertain. There is a pressing need to address this problem more effectively than has been done up to now. This subject also highlights the need for improved coordination between the judicial and child welfare systems in dealing with these children, their families, and the perpetrators. However, the high level of public

This report, Women and Substance Abuse in Hillsborough County, Florida,

This report, Women and Substance Abuse in Hillsborough County, Florida,

This report uses interview data collected in waves two through eight. At wave two, the subjects were in the fall semester of the eighth or ninth grade and were 14 years old, on average. At wave eight, they were in the fall semester of 11th or 12th grade and were 17 years old. In addition to data collected in face-to-face interviews, data were collected from the Rochester public schools, Police Department, Department of Social Services, and other agencies that had contact with the subjects.

a dramatic shift in child sexual abuse trends has occurred. Data from child protective services (CPS) agencies across the country indicate that the increases of the 1980's were followed by an extensive period of marked declines in the 1990's. Unfortunately, little effort has been expended to uncover the reasons why fewer cases of child sexual abuse have The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is committed to improving the justice system's response to crimes against children. OJJDP recognizes that children are at increased risk for crime victimization. Not only are children the victims of many of the same crimes that victimize adults, they are subject to other crimes, like child abuse and neglect, that are specific to childhood. The impact of these crimes on young victims can be devastating, and the violent or sexual victimization of children can often lead to an intergenerational cycle of violence and abuse. The purpose of OJJDP's Crimes Against Children Ser

This study's primary objective was to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a domestic violence questionnaire introduced as a component of child abuse/neglect investigations by New York City Child Welfare Administration caseworkers. In addition, the study sought to identify the beneficial outcomes and obstacles to the implementation of the domestic violence questionnaire. In-depth interviews were conducted with a voluntary sample of fifteen caseworkers, supervisors and administrators to solicit opinions and attitudes regarding the implementation and utilization of the domestic violence questionnaire. Case record data routinely collected by caseworkers as they carried out child protective service investigations provided additional qualitative information as well as quantitative data. 724 cases were received during the six months the questionnaire was implemented in one geographic area in New York City. The domestic violence questionnaire resulted in a 100 % increase in the number of battered women identified during child maltreatment investigations. The interview data revealed a range of feelings and opinions which were grouped into six categories: workload, characteristics of

This report was funded by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and published March 2002. Acknowledgements This analysis would not have been possible without the funding provided by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and assistance from the following members of our Advisory Committee: