NCJ Number
140658
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (Autumn 1992) Pages: 455-473
Date Published
1992
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Although a medical evaluation alone rarely proves that child sexual abuse has occurred, it provides part of the necessary circumstantial proof.
Abstract
Therefore, thoughtful, timely, and accurate evaluation and documentation provide a picture of the child's condition that will be admissible in court and from which inferences of past and future causation can be drawn. The medical evaluation consists of a complete medical history that includes the abusive events, a thorough physical examination that focuses on the preferred sites for sexual abuse, the collection of forensic specimens, and managing the child therapeutically. The possible presence of sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy must be considered as well. The forensic assessment asks whether a specific finding is consistent with abuse and whether the finding can reasonably be explained by another cause. In addition, unlike the situation with the abusive event itself, the health professional can control the evaluation. Figures and 60 references