NCJ Number
172989
Journal
Judicature Volume: 81 Issue: 1 Dated: July-August 1997 Pages: 30-34
Date Published
1997
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A new model judicial education curriculum helps judges assess allegations of child sexual abuse in child custody cases by testing and applying their own knowledge about four fact patterns; the curriculum also helps them to query experts, explore their own decisionmaking processes with judicial colleagues, and decide on appropriate dispositions.
Abstract
The curriculum is titled "Adjudicating Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse When Custody Is in Dispute." It was developed by the National Judicial Education Program, in collaboration with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. Funding came from the State Justice Institute. The curriculum provides the most current data on child sexual abuse allegations in the custody-visitation context and the methods for evaluating allegations. The materials are presented in three parts: (1) a primer on child sexual abuse, (2) a four-unit education program, and (3) a set of readings that judges can review and use as references as needed. The curriculum was designed for judges, but much of it is important for decision-makers such as child protective services workers, prosecutors, and police and can be adapted to meet their needs. Footnotes and information on where to obtain the curriculum