Seeking Justice in Child Sexual Abuse : Shifting Burdens and Sharing Responsibilities

by Staller, Karen M.

• ISBN13: 9780231146142
• ISBN10: 0231146140
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-15
• Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr

Summary

St. Mary County is a small rural midwestern enclave with a unique approach to handling accusations of child sexual abuse. Hoping to spare children the trauma of lengthy court appearances and probing interrogations, St. Mary's professionals strive to obtain confessions from accused sex offenders rather than ask the victim to bear the burden of proof.Treating this county as a critical case study, scholars from a variety of fields come together to analyze this community's unique approach. They address relevant case law, innovative treatments for both victim and offender, and the social history of child sexual abuse as a national policy concern. They cover legal burdens and scientific methods, prosecutors and protocol, the interrogation of victims and suspects, the use of expert witnesses, defense strategies, and practice wisdom in videotaping. In addition, they examine the unfolding drama of a single legal case from incidence to conviction.The result is a fascinating dialogue that confronts the unique complexities of child sexual abuse for readers on all sides of the issue. Introducing a model that makes enormous headway in the pursuit of justice, fairness, and trauma treatment, this interdisciplinary text is an indispensible tool for all communities seeking redress.

Author Biography

John Myers, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and author of A Mother's Nightmare: Incest-A Practical Legal Guide for Parents and Professionals

Table of Contents

Note to the Reader	p. vii
Child Sexual Abuse: Legal Burdens and Scientific Methods	p. 1
People, Personalities, and Protocol Development
Prosecutors and a Protocol: Switching Doors and Staying in Place	p. 35
Sex Busters	p. 69
Protocol as Process
Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse: Interviewing Victims and Interrogating Suspects	p. 89
Professional Practitioners' Views on Videotaping: Capturing and Conveying a Child's Story	p. 113
Polygraph Magic	p. 141
Shifting the Narrative Burden Throughout Investigations and Prosecutions of Child Sexual Abuse	p. 166
Shouldering the Shifted Burden: The Defense Attorneys	p. 194
Victim and Offender Treatment and Therapeutic Justice	p. 225
The Overall Process and Concluding Lessons
People, Protocol, and Process: The Inman Case	p. 251
Conclusions from the Study of St. Mary Country	p. 286
Bibliography	p. 315
Contributors and Members of the Research Team	p. 333
Index	p. 337
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Read chapter 11 "Conclusions from the Study of St. Mary County," by Karen M. Staller. (.pdf)