Expert testimony in child sexual abuse trials: the admissibility of psychological science

✍ Scribed by Margaret Bull Kovera; Eugene Borgida

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 252 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0888-4080
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0720(199712)11:7<s105::aid-acp529>3.0.co;2-#

✦ Synopsis

The authors describe a research programme investigating whether psychological evidence about child sexual abuse and child witnesses meets several criteria for admissibility in US courts: (a) general acceptance within the scienti®c community, (b) helpfulness to the jury, and (c) whether its probative value outweighs its prejudicial value. Responses from a survey of child sexual abuse experts suggest that they agree about the research ®ndings in three areas: the demographic characteristics of sexually abused children, child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome , and children's cognitive capabilities. Survey responses from college students and community members indicate that they may be especially helped by expert testimony on children's memory. Laypersons may also bene®t from a discussion of the paucity of research on oender characteristics and the wide variety of responses to sexual victimization. Data from a survey and a trial simulation suggest that expert testimony on child sexual abuse will not be prejudicial to the defendant. Implications for expert witnesses are discussed.