NCJ Number
104513
Date Published
1986
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Videotaping interviews and court testimony of child victims of sexual abuse offers advantages and disadvantages and must be handled with a clear sense of the reason for the videotaping in each individual case.
Abstract
A major goal of videotaping is to reduce the trauma the child experiences if required to undergo multiple, duplicative interviews by a wide variety of professionals. Videotaping is also used to enhance the therapeutic relationship, prevent retractions, and confront adults' disbelief and denial. Videotapes are being used in court to corroborate expert testimony, to corroborate motions for special courtroom precautions, to provide statements as part of a criminal prosecution, to impeach a retraction, and for use in proceedings of State licensing boards and other bodies. Modifications of videotaping are also being tried. These techniques include the use of closed-circuit television to present the child's testimony from a separate room and the videotaping of children's statements in preliminary hearings and grand jury proceedings. Technical factors to consider in videotaping diagnostic interviews are the setting, the equipment, and the role of the camera operator. Legal and ethical controversy regarding videotaping has centered on three issues: informed consent, the protection of confidentiality, and the use of videotapes by attorneys. The decision to use this technique requires careful research and full knowledge of the potential consequences relating to each situation. More testing and consideration will be necessary to resolve the issues involved. For the full volume of which this is one chapter, see NCJ 104510.