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2014

Child abuse

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Danaher V. Hopkins (Sc 2879), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives Dec 2014

Danaher V. Hopkins (Sc 2879), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2879. Photocopy of decision of Kentucky Court of Appeals in Danaher v. Hopkins, rendered on 24 October 2014. The court rules on an appeal from the Warren Circuit Court regarding custody of the child of the parties in the case.


Protecting Students From Abuse: Public School District Liability For Student Sexual Abuse Under State Child Abuse Reporting Laws, Jason P. Nance, Philip T.K. Daniel Nov 2014

Protecting Students From Abuse: Public School District Liability For Student Sexual Abuse Under State Child Abuse Reporting Laws, Jason P. Nance, Philip T.K. Daniel

Jason P. Nance

Virtually all courts recognize that a child abuse reporting statute creates a duty to children, the breach of which is the basis of a civil suit for damages. Normally, courts recognize a duty only to the minor child about whom school officials have received the abuse reports. In 2004, the Supreme Court of Ohio extended this duty to third party student victims. Thus, causes of action may now be brought against school districts when a school employee abuses one student, school officials fail to report the abuse, and the same employee abuses a different student. Public school students who are …


Victims Of Substantiated Child Abuse: Missouri’S New Reasonably Ascertainable Creditors, Alice Haseltine Nov 2014

Victims Of Substantiated Child Abuse: Missouri’S New Reasonably Ascertainable Creditors, Alice Haseltine

Missouri Law Review

A recent decision from the Supreme Court of Missouri, In re Austin, held that victims of substantiated child abuse are reasonably ascertainable creditors. The practical effect of Austin is to afford victims of substantiated child abuse an extra six months to file claims against the estate of his or her abuser. While this decision is a small victory for victims of sexual abuse, the facts in Austin raise controversial questions about whether the unique circumstances surrounding claims of childhood sexual abuse warrant an exception to the one-year claim bar against a decedent’s estate. This Note begins with an exploration of …


5. American Professional Society On The Abuse Of Children In Support Of Petitioner, Ohio V. Clark (Merits), Thomas D. Lyon Oct 2014

5. American Professional Society On The Abuse Of Children In Support Of Petitioner, Ohio V. Clark (Merits), Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

No abstract provided.


40. Question Types, Responsiveness And Self-Contradictions When Prosecutors And Defense Attorneys Question Alleged Victims Of Child Sexual Abuse, Samantha J. Andrews, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon Oct 2014

40. Question Types, Responsiveness And Self-Contradictions When Prosecutors And Defense Attorneys Question Alleged Victims Of Child Sexual Abuse, Samantha J. Andrews, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

We examined 120 trial transcripts of 6- to 12-year-old children testifying to sexual abuse. Age and attorney role were analyzed in relation to question types, children’s responsiveness, and self-contradiction frequency. A total of 48,716 question-response pairs were identified. Attorneys used more closed-ended than open-ended prompts. Prosecutors used more invitations (3% vs. 0%), directives and option-posing prompts than defence attorneys, who used more suggestive prompts than prosecutors. Children were more unresponsive to defence attorneys than to prosecutors. Self-contradictions were identified in 95% of the cases. Defence attorneys elicited more self-contradictions than prosecutors, but nearly all prosecutors (86%) elicited at least one …


39. Young Children’S Difficulty With Indirect Speech Acts: Implications For Questioning Child Witnesses, Angela D. Evans, Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Kang Lee, Thomas D. Lyon Oct 2014

39. Young Children’S Difficulty With Indirect Speech Acts: Implications For Questioning Child Witnesses, Angela D. Evans, Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Kang Lee, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Prior research suggests that infelicitous choice of questions can significantly underestimate children’s actual abilities, independently of suggestiveness. One possibly difficult question type is indirect speech acts such as “Do you know…” questions (DYK, e.g., “Do you know where it happened?”). These questions directly ask if respondents know, while indirectly asking what respondents know. If respondents answer “yes,” but fail to elaborate, they are either ignoring or failing to recognize the indirect question (known as pragmatic failure). Two studies examined the effect of indirect speech acts on maltreated and non-maltreated 2- to 7-year-olds’ post-event interview responses. Children were read a story …


Blending The Law, The Individual, And Traditional Values To Create An Effective Adr System: A Study On The Adr Processes In Rwanda And Nicaragua, Sarah Yance Sep 2014

Blending The Law, The Individual, And Traditional Values To Create An Effective Adr System: A Study On The Adr Processes In Rwanda And Nicaragua, Sarah Yance

Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal

This article offers information on the history, development and significance of the adoption and implementation of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques in Nicaragua and Rwanda. The ADR system addresses the issues of women and children suffering from domestic abuse and from the repercussions of the Rwandan Genocide and helps in rebuilding and restoring traditional values of family and community in the context of human rights.


Summary Of Major V. State, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 70, Christian Spaulding Aug 2014

Summary Of Major V. State, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 70, Christian Spaulding

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

In a child abuse case, where a family court has previously imposed an obligation on the defendant for the costs of supporting a child placed in the care of social services, the Supreme Court of Nevada determined the district court has jurisdiction to grant restitution to the State for the cost of such child care but must be offset the restitution amount by the amount of the support obligation imposed by the family court.


38. Social And Cognitive Factors Associated With Children's Secret-Keeping For A Parent., Heidi M. Gordon, Thomas D. Lyon, Kang Lee Jul 2014

38. Social And Cognitive Factors Associated With Children's Secret-Keeping For A Parent., Heidi M. Gordon, Thomas D. Lyon, Kang Lee

Thomas D. Lyon

This study examined children’s secret-keeping for a parent and its relation to trust, theory of mind, secrecy endorsement, and executive functioning (EF). Children (N = 107) between 4 and 12 years of age participated in a procedure wherein parents broke a toy and asked children to promise secrecy. Responses to open-ended and direct questions were examined. Overall, secret-keeping increased with age and promising to keep the secret was related to fewer disclosures in open-ended questioning. Children who kept the secret in direct questioning exhibited greater trust and better parental ratings of EF than children who disclosed the secret. Findings highlight …


Bringing The Greenbook To Life: A Resource Guide For Communities, Leigh S. Goodmark, Ann Rosewater Jul 2014

Bringing The Greenbook To Life: A Resource Guide For Communities, Leigh S. Goodmark, Ann Rosewater

Leigh S. Goodmark

This book is designed for communities seeking to develop interventions that will improve their responses to families suffering both domestic violence and child maltreatment.


37. Attorneys' Questions And Children's Productivity In Child Sexual Abuse Criminal Trials., J. Zoe Klemfuss, Jodi A. Quas, Thomas D. Lyon May 2014

37. Attorneys' Questions And Children's Productivity In Child Sexual Abuse Criminal Trials., J. Zoe Klemfuss, Jodi A. Quas, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

We investigated the links between questions child witnesses are asked in court, children’s answers, and case outcome. Samples of acquittals and convictions were matched on child age, victim–defendant relationship, and allegation count and severity. Transcripts were coded for question types, including a previously under-examined type of potentially suggestive question, declarative questions. Children’s productivity was conceptualized in a novel way by separating new from repeated content and by adjusting the definition based on the linguistic demands of the questions. Attorneys frequently used declarative questions, and disconcertingly, attorneys who used these and other suggestive questions more frequently were more likely to win …


36. Evidence Summarized In Attorneys' Closing Arguments Predicts Acquittals In Criminal Trials Of Child Sexual Abuse., Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Thomas D. Lyon May 2014

36. Evidence Summarized In Attorneys' Closing Arguments Predicts Acquittals In Criminal Trials Of Child Sexual Abuse., Stacia N. Stolzenberg, Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

Evidence summarized in attorney’s closing arguments of criminal child sexual abuse cases (N = 189) was coded to predict acquittal rates. Ten variables were significant bivariate predictors; five variables significant at p < .01 were entered into a multivariate model. Cases were likely to result in an acquittal when the defendant was not charged with force, the child maintained contact with the defendant after the abuse occurred, or the defense presented a hearsay witness regarding the victim’s statements, a witness regarding the victim’s character, or a witness regarding another witnesses’ character (usually the mother). The findings suggest that jurors might …


35. Interviewing Children., Thomas D. Lyon May 2014

35. Interviewing Children., Thomas D. Lyon

Thomas D. Lyon

This article reviews best practice for interviewing child witnesses. In most officially recognized abuse cases, the child previously disclosed abuse, making it possible to elicit disclosures without asking closed-ended questions. Interviewers nevertheless overuse closed-ended questions, which lead to short unelaborated responses, privilege the limited perspective of the interviewer, maximize the potential for linguistic difficulties, increase children’s tendency to guess, and risk response biases. Interviewers can avoid closed-ended questions through narrative practice, in which interviewers ask children to narrate a recent innocuous event before introducing the abuse topic; cued invitations, in which interviewers repeat details reported by children and ask for …


34. Disclosure Suspicion Bias And Abuse Disclosure: Comparisons Between Sexual And Physical Abuse., Elizabeth B. Rush, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern, Jodi A. Quas Apr 2014

34. Disclosure Suspicion Bias And Abuse Disclosure: Comparisons Between Sexual And Physical Abuse., Elizabeth B. Rush, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern, Jodi A. Quas

Thomas D. Lyon

Prior research has found that children disclosing physical abuse appear more reticent and less consistent than children disclosing sexual abuse. Although this has been attributed to differences in reluctance, it may also be due to differences in the process by which abuse is suspected and investigated. Disclosure may play a larger role in arousing suspicions of sexual abuse, while other evidence may play a larger role in arousing suspicions of physical abuse. As a result, children who disclose physical abuse in formal investigations may be doing so for the first time, and they may be more reluctant to provide details …


9. Children's Memory For Conversations About Sexual Abuse: Legal And Psychological Implications., Thomas D. Lyon, Stacia N. Stolzenberg Mar 2014

9. Children's Memory For Conversations About Sexual Abuse: Legal And Psychological Implications., Thomas D. Lyon, Stacia N. Stolzenberg

Thomas D. Lyon

The legal and psychological literature on children’s testimony in child sexual abuse cases has largely focused on whether children are allowed to testify, how children testify, and what happens after they do. Those concerned about false convictions have emphasized the benefits of mechanisms to exclude children’s testimony that is unreliable because of pre-trial influence or developmental immaturity1 and the utility of expert testimony on children’s suggestibility. Those concerned about false acquittals have argued for eliminating barriers to receiving children’s testimony, the benefits of setting up special devices (such as screens or closed-circuit television) for receiving testimony, and the utility of …


Virtual Currencies: Bitcoin & What Now After Liberty Reserve, Silk Road, And Mt. Gox?, Lawrence J. Trautman Mar 2014

Virtual Currencies: Bitcoin & What Now After Liberty Reserve, Silk Road, And Mt. Gox?, Lawrence J. Trautman

Lawrence J. Trautman Sr.

During 2013, the U.S. Treasury Department evoked the first use of the 2001 Patriot Act to exclude virtual currency provider Liberty Reserve from the U.S. financial system. This article will discuss: the regulation of virtual currencies; cybercrimes and payment systems; darknets, Tor and the “deep web;” Bitcoin; Liberty Reserve; Silk Road and Mt. Gox. Virtual currencies have quickly become a reality, gaining significant traction in a very short period of time, and are evolving rapidly. Virtual currencies present particularly difficult law enforcement challenges because of their: ability to transcend national borders in the fraction of a second; unique jurisdictional issues; …


33. Disclosing Adult Wrongdoing: Maltreated And Non-Maltreated Children’S Expectations And Preferences., Lindsay C. Malloy, Jodi A. Quas, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern Jan 2014

33. Disclosing Adult Wrongdoing: Maltreated And Non-Maltreated Children’S Expectations And Preferences., Lindsay C. Malloy, Jodi A. Quas, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth C. Ahern

Thomas D. Lyon

Little is known about the process by which children disclose adult wrongdoing, a topic of considerable debate and controversy. In the current study, we investigated children’s evaluations of disclosing adult wrongdoing by focusing on children’s preferences for particular disclosure recipients and perceptions of the consequences of disclosure in hypothetical vignettes. We tested whether children thought that disclosure recipients would believe a story child as a truth teller and what actions the recipients would take against the ‘‘instigator’’ who committed the transgression. Maltreated and non-maltreated 4- to 9-year-olds (N = 235) responded to questions about vignettes that described a parent’s or …


Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Teens, Tamieka Meadows, Alexis Kennedy Jan 2014

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Teens, Tamieka Meadows, Alexis Kennedy

McNair Poster Presentations

This research explores whether commercially sexually exploited children (CSEC) abuse drugs or face greater histories of abuse than their delinquent peers. This research will evaluate whether girls who are CSEC victims experience more abuse of drugs or experience more physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The study also explores whether CSEC victims witnessed more abuse than non-CSEC victims. A survey of needs and issues facing delinquent girls was given to 130 girls between the ages of 13 to 18. Questions asked about their drug use, abuse history, and whether they witnessed abuse. This research found that many girls who are CSEC …


Abolish Anonymous Reporting To Child Abuse Hotlines, Dale Margolin Cecka Jan 2014

Abolish Anonymous Reporting To Child Abuse Hotlines, Dale Margolin Cecka

Law Faculty Publications

Part I of this Article traces the history of child abuse reporting hotlines. Part II describes the current law and practice behind child abuse reporting hotlines. Part III examines why anonymous reporting by the public is unnecessary and highly susceptible to abuse. Part IV analyzes the constitutional rights at stake in anonymous reporting, citing federal case law that contradicts current practice. Part V concludes with a proposal to abolish anonymous reporting and require all public reporting hotlines to adhere to published, written policies.


Effects Of Clergy Reporting Laws On Child Maltreatment Report Rates, Frank E. Vandervort, Vincent J. Palusci Jan 2014

Effects Of Clergy Reporting Laws On Child Maltreatment Report Rates, Frank E. Vandervort, Vincent J. Palusci

Articles

Child maltreatment (CM) reporting laws and policies have an important role in the identification, treatment, and prevention of CM in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [US DHHS], 2012). Abuse by a member of the clergy “is not only a personal and emotional betrayal, but [also] a spiritual betrayal, with secrecy amplified by the unprecedented and systemic cover-up committed by the Church hierarchy” (Coyne, 2011, p. 15). Recent controversies have resulted in the consideration of changes in mandated U.S. reporting laws that include increasing requirements for clergy and extension to additional professions (Freeh, Sporkin, & Sullivan, …


In Re Sanders And The Resurrection Of Stanley V. Illinois, Joshua Gupta-Kagan Jan 2014

In Re Sanders And The Resurrection Of Stanley V. Illinois, Joshua Gupta-Kagan

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay begins by reviewing Stanley v. Illinois, and outlines how that foundational case originally recognized parental rights in foster care cases yet became understood primarily as a private adoption case. Second, it explains how, simultaneously, family courts developed the One-Parent Doctrine and a related doctrine making it difficult to transfer custody of a child from an abusive or neglectful parent in one state to a non-offending parent in another. Both doctrines violate Stanley by allowing the State to take custody of children without ever proving parental unfitness. Cases adopting these doctrines literally ignore Stanley. Third, this Essay …