Allegations of sexual assault present numerous challenges even to the seasoned attorney. Most sexual assaults have no eyewitness to the crime, and inevitably, the credibility of the victim becomes a focus in criminal and civil cases involving allegations of sexual assault. Cases involving delayed reports of sexual assault present even more challenges to the credibility of the alleged victim. Despite the relatively rare occurrence of false allegations of sexual abuse, in cases of delayed reporting the issue of credibility becomes the primary focus of the criminal or … [Read more...]
Case Study: Evaluating Psychological Injuries In Burn Victims
Depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are the most common psychological responses to severe burn injuries. Those who develop PTSD as a result of such injuries become highly susceptible to long term depression and anxiety. In addition to burns being sudden, unexpected life-threatening experiences, burn injuries also involve extremely painful and intrusive medical procedures. The procedures alone can be traumatic. Disfigurement can exacerbate symptoms of PTSD because of the likelihood of flashbacks about the injury. Greater disfigurement also has a greater … [Read more...]
Utilizing an Expert to Assess the Reliability and Credibility of Child Sexual Abuse Victim’s Statements in Criminal, Civil, and Family Court Cases.
In forensic interviews, where there are allegations of child sexual abuse, it is imperative that interviewers incorporate the current Professional Standards of Care to obtain forensically sound information from the alleged child victim. Interviews that produce unreliable information present significant risk to both the alleged victim as well as perpetrator. Those falsely accused suffer irreparable damage; the risks are equally significant if a perpetrator is allowed to continue to offend, simply because the interviewer used techniques that undermined the forensic … [Read more...]