Children as Victims, Witnesses, and Offenders

Download or read book Children as Victims, Witnesses, and Offenders written by Bette L. Bottoms and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2009-08-10 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grounded in the latest clinical and developmental knowledge, this book brings together leading authorities to examine the critical issues that arise when children and adolescents become involved in the justice system. Chapters explore young people’s capacities, competencies, and special vulnerabilities as victims, witnesses, and defendants. Key topics include the reliability of children’s abuse disclosures, eyewitness testimony, interviews, and confessions; the evolving role of the expert witness; the psychological impact of trauma and of legal involvement; factors that shape jurors’ perceptions of children; and what works in rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Policies and practices that are not supported by science are identified, and approaches to improving them are discussed.