The Child Witness

Legal Issues and Dilemmas

This is the first book for professionals who seek an integrated, up-to-date review of psychological research and recent court cases dealing with children as witnesses in court. It is organized around four issues: the competence of children as witnesses, the credibility of children, the rights of children and the rights of the accused. Child and adolescent development is reviewed from a psychological perspective. Recent research on issues of comprehension, memory and communication skills of children are described alongside the reactions of various audiences - lawyers, judges and juries - to the children's credibility. Procedures designed to reduce the traumatization of children who testify in court are described and evaluated.