NCJ Number
141838
Date Published
1989
Length
110 pages
Annotation
In 1986, the Province of Manitoba and the Department of Justice Canada initiated a pilot project to videotape the statements of sexually abused children in Winnipeg and the Parklands region of Manitoba in order to develop procedures for videotaping investigatory interviews, reduce the negative systemic effects on children, develop trained personnel and programs to assist child victims, and improve the reliability and validity of children's testimony.
Abstract
A number of issues were established for this evaluation of the pilot program in terms of its implementation and impact. The process-and-outcome evaluation was based on data collected from police files, videotaping project files, interviews, tape reviews, tape summaries, advisory committee minutes, and administrative materials. The evaluation found that the pilot program has achieved many of its objectives. The primary factor in deciding to videotape child victims is the cooperation received from the police departments, rather than the seriousness of the case or type of abuse. The findings showed that professionals involved in the investigative process have become more comfortable with videotaping and thereby use it more often. In addition to being used to develop a protocol for videotaping children's testimony, the tapes have been useful in training social workers and police to increase their sensitivity and skill in interviewing children, in strengthening the relationship between social workers and police officers, and in enhancing offender therapy. Three main tasks left for the project: to monitor the use of videotapes in court, to develop the routine use of videotapes, and to provide ongoing training to maximize the use of videotaping in the criminal justice system. 35 tables, 10 figures, and 13 references