Prosecution Rate and Quality of the Investigative Interview in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Abstract

One suggested reason for the low prosecution rate in child sexual abuse cases is the poor quality of the interviews. The present study examined the extent to which a number of aspects of interview quality were used by interviewers at a Children's Advocacy Centre in Sweden. Furthermore, the relationship between aspects of interview quality and the prosecution rate was examined. Transcripts of investigative interviews with 3‐year‐old to 16‐year‐old children who all reported on sexual abuse were assessed (n = 32). There were no effects found concerning the relationship between prosecution rate on the one hand, and interview quality, age, and the child's relationship with the suspected offender on the other. The interviews with older children were, on several aspects, scored as higher in quality. The relationships between these findings and child sexual abuse investigations and interviews are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Child Interview Tactics on Prospective Jurors' Decisions

“…However, interview quality was not directly related to confidence of guilt decisions, which was counter to predictions and the extant literature (e.g., Buck, Warren, & Brigham, 2004;Buck, London, & Wright, 2011;Castelli et al, 2005; but see Hagborg, Strömwall, & Tidefors, 2012). Instead, interview quality had a significant, indirect effect on confidence of guilt via child credibility.…”

The Criminal Justice Response to Child and Youth Victimization

“…Pipe et al (2013) found that criminal charges were more likely to be filed in child abuse cases in one investigative center after interviewers were trained in the NICHD protocol, a method of increasing the quality of interviews, than before the protocol. Hagborg et al (2012) found no significant relationship between interview quality and prosecution in a Swedish Barnahus, but the sample was only 32 child interviews.…”

“…In Smith and Goretsky-Elstein (1993) survey, 62% of responding prosecutors reported that they sometimes or very often rejected cases because the victim was too young, and 48% because of teenager noncredibility. Two studies found that adolescents were more likely than younger school age children to have their cases prosecuted (references available upon request), while Cross et al (1994) found no difference between these groups and Hagborg et al (2012) found no age effect. Several studies have found that prosecution of child sexual abuse was more likely when victims were girls (e.g., references available upon request), though Brewer et al (1997) found no difference.…”

“…Cross et al (1994) found that White perpetrators were prosecuted more often than African American or Hispanic perpetrators, while findings are mixed in two studies examining whether a person from an ethnic minority was more likely to be prosecuted (references are available upon request). Five studies (references available upon request) found that cases were less likely to be prosecuted when the perpetrator had a familial relationship with the child, but two studies found no such effect (Hagborg et al 2012;Joa and Edelson 2004).…”

Investigative psychology.

“…Interviewing child witnesses is arguably a special case within investigative interviewing ( Hagborg, Stromwall, & Tidefors, 2012 ; see also Chapter 1, this volume). The National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) protocol was developed to ensure that child witnesses are interviewed in a way that makes their testimony useful and reliable ( Lamb, Hershkowitz, Orbach, & Esplin, 2008 ).…”