NCJ Number
168028
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1997) Pages: 128-140
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Thirty-five children who had been sexually abused were interviewed about their experiences after the abuse.
Abstract
The children were all 10-16 years old at the time of the research interviews and had disclosed the sexual abuse 2-4 years earlier. They were part of a major study of 202 children in London, England. The interviews revealed that the majority of the children were positive about their contact with police. The children did not always want the abusers to be imprisoned, but they required accountability and some form of redress for the abuser. However, the six children who were prosecution witnesses were all unequivocally negative about their experience of giving evidence and being cross-examined. Findings provide increased support for the opinion that further reform is still needed if the interests of children as well as justice are truly to be protected within the criminal justice system. Table, figure, and 10 references (Author abstract modified)