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A Case for Specialized and Specific Intervention and Treatment Strategies with Abused Children
expands on the memory issue by investigations, prosecutions, and
asserting that due to the overwhelming corrections of the Justice Department.
amount of simulation during abuse These guidelines are an obvious
there are likely some parts of the improvement over a system that appears
trauma experience that were never to have had a public reputation for at least
encoded in memory, so were never some inconsistent and even unethical
‘stored’. Furthermore, they cite forensic and clinical approaches. But a
studies that demonstrate that errors simple review of these guidelines reveals
in children’s accounts are most often that a body that does not nearly understand
omission rather than commission the nuances and complexities of the
errors. Such studies reinforce the problems has created them that child
oversimplified truth that just as in adult (PTSD) victims suffer. There appears to
female rape victims, child victims do be no such required guidelines for most
not generally lie about sexual abuse. county level child protection services.
Also in the mix of complications in
With such complexity, subtle nuance, achieving the truth and attaining justice is
and discrete aspects, how victim the difference in training and philosophical
witness information is gained and used foundations between law enforcement,
in child abuse cases becomes likewise courts, and the field of psychology.
a complex and delicate matter. Public (Wrightsman, 2005) Even a cursory
opinion, media enthusiasm, multiple review of questioning tactics between the
court opinions and those falsely disciplines yields a wide difference in
accused of maltreatment of children styles, approaches, and objectives. Not all
all attest to the struggle to get the of these approaches may be sensitive to
process accurate, fair, and unbiased. the victim’s emotional, developmental or
Many of the criticisms of particular mental state. In fact, a very real question
cases, usually targeting child protection is exactly how many police departments
agencies and workers, while made by have a specially trained staff member to
individuals not educated in the nature question a child victim. Clinicians may
of trauma or PTSD in children, have cringe at the image of a rough and tumble
validity and serve to press the field into officer who has never questioned a child
doing a better job. (Wexler, 1995) abuse victim doing their best to pick their
way through a child’s critical incident
In 1990, Congress enacted the Victims
of Child Abuse Act that contains a account.
detailed Article (IV) to guide Children usually reveal issues of abuse
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