NCJ Number
105255
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 65 Issue: 2 Dated: (1986) Pages: 155-163
Date Published
1986
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Statutes such as that passed by the 1983 Texas Legislature providing for the use of audiovisual testimony by child victims of abuse should reduce the stress experienced by children in traditional case processing and improve the value of the child's testimony.
Abstract
The Texas law provides for children 12 years old or younger to testify in alleged cases of child abuse either through a previously prepared videotape or by closed circuit television. The law specifies technical requirements for the videotaping. Since this statute constitutes an exception to the hearsay rule, it has occasioned legal challenges, but the issue has not yet been litigated in the U.S. Supreme Court. Assuming that a given videotape is admitted by the court, it can be used as evidence in a civil or criminal trial, to encourage a guilty plea, as a vehicle for settlement, as a psychological catharsis for the child, and as an aid in psychotherapy. Videotaped testimony can eliminate the need for children to be repeatedly interviewed by a variety of officials, to appear before the grand jury, and to present testimony in a nonsupportive and threatening environment. The key to effective videotaping is the training of mental health professionals to conduct the interviews in accordance with statutory criteria. 14 references.