Citation

Holcomb MJ, Jacquin KM. J. Child Sex. Abus. 2007; 16(2): 79-95.

Affiliation

1000 Highway 19 North.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/ J070v16n02_05

PMID

17895233

Abstract

A mock child sexual abuse trial was used to study juror perceptions of child eyewitnesses. The child's age (5, 11, or 16) and level of involvement (victim or bystander) were varied across conditions in order to test their impact on juror perceptions and verdict. Results indicated a significant effect of level of involvement on the verdict; defendants in trials involving a bystander witness received higher guilt ratings than defendants in trials with a victim-witness. In addition, jurors perceived the child's eyewitness testimony to be more believable when the child was younger. Implications for the impact of these findings on real-life child sexual abuse cases are discussed.

Language: en