Handbook on Child Witnesses

This comprehensive text describes the science and practice of child forensic interviewing, with an emphasis on child abuse cases.
For the forensic interviewer, eliciting descriptions of childhood assaults, at any age, is no easy task. Over the last several decades, research on children and the law has greatly expanded, especially on the topics of forensic interviewing, memory, suggestibility, linguistic development, and social and emotional development. This area of study and practice is especially concerned with both false denials and false allegations. These concerns have led to the development of useful evidence-informed protocols, but there is still more research to be done.
This book offers a holistic overview of current research directions and policy implications regarding child witnesses’ interactions with the legal system, including the long-term outcomes after their initial involvement. Children and families impacted by the trauma of a sexual assault, or the trauma of a false report, can experience lasting mental and physical effects. Children are especially vulnerable to experiencing distress when interacting with the legal process. This volume covers the best techniques that minimize further distress when child witnesses are involved in legal proceedings, and illustrates how best to deal with the inevitable stressors. Chapters delve into interviewing methods, social support, child understanding of legal proceedings, true versus false reporting, and countering juror bias.

Gail S. Goodman, PhD, is distinguished professor of psychology, emerita at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Goodman received many national and international awards and grants for her writings and research on child witnesses. Her research is cited pivotally in U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning child witnesses and courtroom testimony. She obtained her doctoral degree in psychology from UCLA. She published for many years with Dr. Karen J. Saywitz, and they were very close friends. Dr. Goodman and Dr. Saywitz are often credited with starting the modern scientific study of children’s eyewitness memory and children in the legal context.
Thomas D. Lyon, JD, PhD, is the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado chair in law and psychology at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked as an attorney for the Children’s Services Division of the Los Angeles County Counsel. He obtained a PhD in developmental psychology from Stanford University, and was a post-doctoral researcher with Karen Saywitz, PhD at UCLA. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Justice.
Sue D. Hobbs, PhD, is professor of child and adolescent development and chair of undergraduate studies in education in the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Hobbs received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of California, Davis. She received the Karen Saywitz Early Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research and Practice from the American Psychological Association Division 37. Her research and peer-reviewed publications focus on children's eyewitness memory, forensic interviewing techniques, and the experiences of foster youth in the legal system.
Rayna Enriquez, PhD, works at the National Institute of Justice and holds a doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Enriquez obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialization in Law, Forensics, and Criminality from the University of Southern California. As part of her training, she served as a researcher of forensic interviewing techniques for children in court actions. She specializes in eyewitness memory and perceptions of children with developmental disorders, as well as in true and false memory in adults.