Enhancing the Legal Profession’s Response to Victims of Child Abuse

Abstract:     
This article explores how the rights of child crime victims affect sexual abuse trials. It addresses recent ABA policies that recommend children be given specialized services such as those provided by child advocacy centers, as well as access to legal advice. The article also discusses how legal professionals can improve their interactions with child victims without curtailing the rights of criminal defendants, focusing on evidentiary issues such as competency, remote testimony, and expert testimony. The child friendly courtroom is analyzed in light of Crawford’s ban on testimonial statements in the absence of a declarant who has been subjected to cross examination.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 27

Keywords: child witnesses, child abuse trials, confrontation, crime victims

JEL Classification: K14, K40, K42, K49

Accepted Paper Series