From the AuthorA few reformers from law enforcement and mental health in the 1970's started a new movement, one that sought to broaden the scope of child protection to include victims of sexual exploitation...profound mistakes were made from the beginning but few people dared to notice. These were not just the kind of shortcomings we expect in any large, bureaucratic undertaking. They were mistakes at the very heart of what was being proposed and implemented. They were mistakes in theory and thinking, the kind which are bound to lead even the most dedicated and caring persons into practices that harm children rather than protect them. These mistakes, the reasons behind them, the consequences both for children and for the justice system, and what we believe is the solution, are the substance of this manual. If it is disgusting to think of a child being used by an adult for sex, it should be equally abhorrent to think of a child being trained to believe things that never happened, especially when this leads to the destruction of a central relationship in the child's life. Child protection agencies have a duty to protect children from this form of abuse as well.About the AuthorFor nearly three decades, Dr. Lee Coleman has studied the misuse of psychiatry and medicine in the courts. His first work in this area was the book, "The Reign of Error" published by Beacon Press. He also was an expert witness in the infamous McMartin Preschool Case, an expert witness in the Bakersfield Satanic Ritual Cases, and a consultant in the Little Rascal the Preschool Case. He has appeared on television on Larry King Live, American Justice, Today Show, and countless others. For over two decades, Patrick Clancy, a Certified Criminal Law Attorney, has represented adults who have been falsely accused of child molestation. He is a frequent lecturer at attorney training syminars on the defense of those falsely accused of child sexual abuse. He and Dr. Coleman produced a documentary "Making Memories" on the recovered memory movement that was shown on PBS. He was also published by the American Bar Association on the subject of false allegations of sexual abuse.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.From the Introduction..."To begin to understand the developments that ultimately led to our current system of investigating child sexual abuse, we will begin with Senator Walter Mondale's 19973 hearings on child abuse and neglect. Those hearings led to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974, which required each state to develop programs aimed at faster recognition and treatment of child abuse. We see no reason to doubt that thousands of children benefited, but we also believe that specifically in cases of alleged sexual abuse unintended consequences resulted. ....With no real questions asked, law enforcement and child protection agencies allowed a few mental health professionals to become the leaders of this new movement, in the belief that therapists would know best how to interview children in ways which would help them reveal abuse. It is this collaboration between the investigative community and the therapeutic community that is the fundamental error that continues to plague the system of child sexual abuse prevention, investigation, and prosecution. Neutrality is the hallmark of the skilled investigator...The present system, however, trains investigators to adopt ideas and methods drawn from the mental health professions, where neutrality is ordinarily not to be expected or even desired....Consider, for example, what happens when an investigator is trained to think like a therapist who wants to help victims. The investigator becomes an advocate and genuine investigation becomes impossible....Consider as well what happens when an alleged child victim is sent to a therapist specializing in "sexual abuse trauma" and the therapist is encouraged by law enforcement to become the main interrogator of the child.... The outcome of this blending of roles has been devastating to the welfare of children and the cause of justice...The point is not only that investigators and therapists have different perspectives but contradictory perspectives. The very last persons who should be influencing the investigative community are mental health professionals. Such concerns never occurred to the founders of the sexual abuse prevention movement....Society had for so long ignored victims of sexual abuse...that the leaders of this new movement perceived the problem solely as one of helping victims disclose their abuse and convincing skeptical adults to support the child. The exclusive focus was on the undeniable fact that molested children might not readily reveal what had happened to them. Investigators, therefore, needed to do two fundamental things to join the ranks of the exciting new child protection network. First, use creative and persistent methods to help the child reveal abuse, and second, convince others that the child must be believed, even if some of the story sounded implausible..." Reduced to its essence, the one-way street we are referring to says, "Try real hard to get the child to describe abuse. Those children who have been molested need this kind of help to reveal the truth. Those who have not been abused will never make a false accusation." The belief that children would never make false statements about sexual abuse became an article of faith among the new child sexual abuse specialists from law enforcement, child protection and mental health. Psychiatrist Roland Summit...expressed the consensus when he wrote, "Acceptance and validation are crucial to the psychological survival of the victim....Every clinician must be capable of understanding and articulating the position of the child in the prevailing adult imbalance of credibility...the more illogical and incredible the initiation scene might seem to adults, the more likely it is that the child's plaintive description is valid...The specialist must help mobilize skeptical caretakers into a position of belief, acceptance, support and protection of the child." ...if a child made an accusation, anything less than immediate and uncritical acceptance of the accusation would be badly out of touch with this new movement to protect children from sexual abuse....vigorous investigation was not really necessary because...[quoting Summit] "It has become a maxim among child sexual abuse intervention counselors and investigators that children never fabricate the kinds of explicit sexual manipulations they divulge in complaints or interrogations." Such ideas became dogma not only for mental health professionals developing a special interest in sexual abuse of children but also for investigators from police and child protection agencies.... where can i download ebooks for free pdf Has A Child Been Molested?
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent resource for the defense attorneyBy JilllesThese authors address issues which are presented in child sexual abuse prosecutions, including the concerns about whether doctors, police and prosecutors either inadvertently or purposely affect the integrity of the claims. Very readable - a great resource for defense attorneys.12 of 14 people found the following review helpful. The Question is more Important than the AnswerBy Steven Rease"Has a Child Been Molested" belongs in every criminal defense lawyer's library if you are going to represent clients accused of child molesting. This book will educate the attorney to be aware of issues and problems that are unique to these cases and that without the insights of Dr. Coleman and Mr. Clancy one can easily overlook to the client's ultimate detriment. The highest compliment I can pay to the book and its authors is that it made me a better lawyer and allowed me to represent my clients more effectively. As a criminal defense lawyer with over 20 years of experience, I can strongly recommend Dr. Coleman as a powerful expert witness for the defense in child sexual abuse cases. His testimony on issues such as suggestability of child witnesses, syndrome evidence, an rebutting false claims of physical evidence of abuse is absolutely necessary if these cases are to be presented effectively and fairly to juries. This book covers all the major issues of mental health, medicine, and interview techniques that constantly appear in child molest cases. The book points out how doctors and therapists have been corrupted to apply their professional expertise in the name of saving the abused child based on the presumption that "children never lie" about these things. Dr. Coleman and Mr. Clancy point out how this movement to save the children got started and how it has been allowed to run wild through our criminal justice system. More importantly, they provide information and guidance that will allow the reader to understand what is happening and how to prevent the misuse of medicine and psychiatry in the courtroom. Anyone truly interested in seeing the truth come out in a courtroom cannot afford to ignore this truly important work.6 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Has a Child Been MolestedBy Jesse Barrow IIIThis is a very good book. It gives a balanced treatment of an issue that has reached near hysteria proportions in America today. Child abuse is an awful crime. In the past our society often swept it under the rug. But, today is too often alleged. Parents can too easily put a child up to making false allegations to get back at one another. Alternatively they can sometimes convince a child not to make allegations to protect a spouse on whom they are emotionally, financially, or spiritually dependant. These days the mere accusation of abuse renders the accused branded for life. Also, these false accusations make it harder to give attention to the real cases. This is a book attorneys, police, and mental health workers should read carefully. It gives factual information. It shows clear signs of actual or feigned molestation. It has case studies from real life examples. It is the kind of book that can bolster us to fight this crime, but caution us against charging in without proper facts.Jesse Barrow