Saturday, October 12, 2019
Childrens Testimony Essay -- essays research papers
Over the last thirty years, the idea of children as witnesses and the accuracy of their testimony has been widely debated. People are asking themselves if the memories of young children, specifically between the ages of five and ten, can be accurate and in return trusted. So, can children’s memory and testimony be accurate? Prolific amounts of research have been conducted in an attempt to answer this question. Most of the research suggests that unfortunately we can not rely on their accurate recall in testimony. I would have to say I agree with the findings.      The current anxiety about the validity of children’s testimony in court stems mostly from heavily publicized cases of child molestation during the 1980’s (Meyer, 1997). As a result of society’s reaction to dramatic increases in reports of abuse and neglect, children increasingly are being admitted as witnesses in juvenile and criminal proceedings (Ceci & de Bruyn, 1993). Each year hundreds of thousands of children in North America become entangled in the legal system. Often these children testify about the alleged actions of a parent, teacher, baby-sitter, relative or neighbor. And when this happens, the case is often decided on the basis of the relative credibility of the child versus the defendant. Regardless of whether such testimony is made in forensic interviews, during preliminary hearings, or at trial, it may result in life altering decisions for all involved (Ceci & Bruck, 1995).      The issue of children’s veracity is not new to the courtroom. There were cases in Puritan times in which youngsters’ testimony was responsible for the imprisonment and execution of a number of individuals accused of being witches (Meyer, 1997). Because of this, for both theoretical and practical reasons, many child psychologists, legal professionals, and others have long sought to understand more fully the extent to which young children are able to recall their experiences and to report on them accurately. As part of this effort, there has also been a great interest in learning more about the developmental course through which young children acquire the capacity (Stern, Stern, & Lamiell, 1999).      To thoroughly understand the subject, we must look closely at several aspects and effects of children as witnesses in the lega... ...esses in Court: A Growing Dilemma.          Children Today, 22. Franklin, D. (1999). Child Witness Credibility. Retrieved 10-02-01 from Psychology      Information online:      Garry, M., & Palaschek, D. L. (2000). Imagination and Memory. Current Directions in          Psychological      Science, 9, 6-9. Goodman, G. & Levine, M. (1991). Child Witnesses and the Confrontation Clause:      The American Psychological Association brief in Maryland v. Graig. Law and Human Behavior, 5, 13-29. Koriat, A., Goldsmith, M., Schneider, W., & Nakash-Dura, M. (2001). The Credibility          of Children’s Testimony: Can Children Control the Accuracy of Their Memory           Reports?. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 79, 405-437. Meyer, J. F. (1997). Inaccuracies in Children’s Testimony. United States: Hawthoren Press. Myers, D. (1996). Exploring Psychology (3rd ed.). Michigan
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