12. Interviewing Victims And Suspected Victims Who Are Reluctant To Talk., Irit Irit Hershkowitz, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon
Nov 2013
12. Interviewing Victims And Suspected Victims Who Are Reluctant To Talk., Irit Irit Hershkowitz, Michael E. Lamb, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Most professionals know that many alleged victims do not disclose abuse when formally interviewed and that disclosure is affected by a variety of factors, among which the relationship between suspects and children appears to be especially important (see Pipe, Lamb, Orbach, & Cederborg, 2007, for reviews). Children––especially boys and preschoolers––are hesitant to report abuse by parents and guardians, particularly when sexual rather than physical abuse is suspected. For example, Pipe, Lamb, Orbach, Stewart, Sternberg, and Esplin (2007) reported that only 38% of the preschoolers interviewed disclosed sexual abuse by a parent even when the allegations were independently substantiated by corroborative …
11. Twenty-Five Years Of Interviewing Research And Practice: Dolls, Diagrams, And The Dynamics Of Abuse Disclosure., Thomas D. Lyon
Feb 2012
11. Twenty-Five Years Of Interviewing Research And Practice: Dolls, Diagrams, And The Dynamics Of Abuse Disclosure., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
A great deal of research in the past 25 years has contributed to our understanding of how best to interview children about suspected maltreatment. The disastrous failures of the highly publicized daycare abuse cases led to a flood of research, initially emphasizing the failures of conventional approaches, and more recently highlighting the potential for eliciting complete and accurate reports. If a child has disclosed abuse, and is willing to disclose again, we know what to do. Research supports the use of interview instructions, narrative practice rapport building, and the use of open ended questions to elicit and to elaborate on …
Lyon, T.D., Lamb, M.E., & Myers, J.E.B. (In Press). [Legal And Psychological, Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2008
Lyon, T.D., Lamb, M.E., & Myers, J.E.B. (In Press). [Legal And Psychological, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
No abstract provided.
10. Witnesses, Children As Legal., Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2008
10. Witnesses, Children As Legal., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Child witnesses present challenges for both law and psychology. The question is how to elicit statements from children without sacrificing the truth, the rights of those against whom the child is testifying, and the welfare of the child.
9. Authors’ Response To Vieth, Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2008
9. Authors’ Response To Vieth, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
In 2007, Lamb, Orbach, Hershkowitz, Esplin, and Horowitz published in Child Abuse & Neglect a review of empirical research on the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol in which they provided extensive research supporting the conclusion that the NICHD Protocol “comprises a useful and usable set of guidelines that allow trained interviewers to conduct investigative interviews that hew more closely than they otherwise would to universally endorsed professional guidelines” (p. 1212).
8. The Supreme Court, Hearsay, And Crawford: Implications For Child Interviewers., Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2007
8. The Supreme Court, Hearsay, And Crawford: Implications For Child Interviewers., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
We are entering the golden age of child interviewing. After years of research emphasizing how children's statements may be corrupted by coercive questioning practices, a number of researchers have shifted their focus toward finding means of increasing the accuracy and completeness of children's reports. Interviewers can now refer to a body of research identifYing good interview practice (Lamb, Hershkowitz, Orbach, & Esplin, 2008).
7. The Supreme Court And Reluctant Witnesses: Crawford V. Washington., Thomas D. Lyon
Aug 2004
7. The Supreme Court And Reluctant Witnesses: Crawford V. Washington., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
A recent U.S. Supreme Court case is sure to have a major impact on the prosecution of family violence cases in which the victim fails to testify at trial. A number of states have special hearsay exceptions for statements from victims of spouse abuse and child abuse. Those exceptions often allow the statements into evidence even when the victim does not testify (usually with additional requirements, such as corroborative evidence or a finding that the statement has "indicia of reliability"). The U.S. Supreme Court has recently held that if the victim does not testify, "testimonial" hearsay is inadmissible unless the …
6. Educating The Public Through The Michael Jackson Case., Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2003
6. Educating The Public Through The Michael Jackson Case., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Many experts in child sexual abuse likely view the Michael Jackson molestation case with disgust. The case is colored by the media circus, the major players' motives for money and publicity, and the sometimes prurient, sometimes morbid fascination the public has with allegations they view as bizarre and improbable.
5. Support Persons And The Child Witness., Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 2001
5. Support Persons And The Child Witness., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
American trial courts often rule on motions that children testify in court accompanied by a support· person. Unfortunately, the potential impact of providing a child witness with a support person has not been thoroughly researched.
4. Let’S Not Exaggerate The Suggestibility Of Children., Thomas D. Lyon
Aug 2001
4. Let’S Not Exaggerate The Suggestibility Of Children., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
I’m grateful to Dr. Martindale for introducing the reader to an important and lively debate among practitioners and academics over the relevance of recent research on children’s suggestibility. In my Cornell Law Review article, I argued that the recent research on suggestibility was inspired by highly coercive interviewing techniques in widely publicized cases that are not the norm in child sexual abuse investigations. These techniques include telling children that they have been abused, telling children that a particular person is the abuser, and asking children to imagine details regarding how abuse could have taken place. Moreover, I argued that the …
3. The Effect Of Threats On Children’S Disclosure Of Sexual Abuse., Thomas D. Lyon
Jul 1996
3. The Effect Of Threats On Children’S Disclosure Of Sexual Abuse., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Do abused children refuse to disclose their abuse because they have been threatened by their perpetrators? In Jeopardy in the Courtroom: A Scientific Analysis of Children's Testimony, a book that many believe may have a substantial impact on child witness law and practice, Professors Stephen Ceci and Maggie Bruck argue that there is little empirical basis for this "professional `lore"' (Ceci & Bruck, 1995, pp. 300-301).
2. Assessing Children's Competence To Take The Oath: Research And Recommendations., Thomas D. Lyon
Apr 1996
2. Assessing Children's Competence To Take The Oath: Research And Recommendations., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
With all of the attention paid to children's performances as witnesses once on the stand, their ability to qualify to take the stand has been relatively neglected. Most courts require that in order to testify, a witness must first take the oath. In its most simple form, an oath is a promise to tell the truth. Taking the oath presupposes that one understands what it means to tell the truth, and that one appreciates one’s obligation to tell the truth when promising to do so. If a young child does not understand the difference between the truth and lies, or …
1. Children's Decision-Making Competency: Misunderstanding Piaget., Thomas D. Lyon
Jul 1993
1. Children's Decision-Making Competency: Misunderstanding Piaget., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Children's decision making ability is important in a number of areas in the law. A child's competence to decide affects how her actions and opinions are evaluated in family court proceedings, dependency actions, delinquency cases, and civil suits.
