The child abuse witness: Potential for secondary victimization

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The Child abuse witness: Potential for secondary victimization. Criminal Justice Journal 7: 1-48 ( 1983). Avery, M. San Diego County Deputy District Attorney. San Diego, CA. THIS ARTICLE which appeared in 1984 in The Crimina/ Justice Journal presents the legal conflict between protecting the child abuse witness and insuring that the constitutional rights of the criminal defendant are not abridged. The author delineates the potential for secondary victimization and possible means to eliminate or manage it. The article begins by concisely explaining the problems of competency. credibility, recantation and corroboration. In this section the myth that child witnesses per se are inferior to adult witnesses is strongly attacked. Once the child is accepted as a witness, the task becomes presenting such testimony in a manner that will protect the child while still allowing the defendant to “confront” his accusers. The discussion of closed-circuit television. videotaping and the use of a child courtroom all provide insight into possible solutions. The explanation of hearsay exceptions also demonstrates that innovative use of statutes and rules of evidence makes it possible. in many cases, to present the child witness through testimony of a third party. This article has valuable information both to help those engaged in treatment obtain information in a manner that can be presented in court and to aid those who present the information prevent secondary victimization. Chief Deputy District Attorney Eighteenth Judicial Districr State of Colorado

JOHN

C.JORDAN

Neonatal ethanol withdrawal: Characteristics in clinically normal non-dysmorphic neonates, Journal of Pediatrics 105:445-45 1 (1984). Coles, C., Smith, I., Fernhoff, P. and Falek. A. Human and Behavioral Genetics Research Laboratory. Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta. GA. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ADDITION to the pediatric literature and the study has implications for all those working with abusive families or those who are at high risk for abuse. There has been a great deal of literature on infants born to mothers who are addicted to heroin or who are on methadone treatment. These babies exhibit withdrawal symptoms after birth that include hyperactivity, central nervous system irritability, increased muscle tone. hyperactive reflexes, excessive mouthing behaviors, tremors. and gastrointestinal and respiratory tract problems. Without treatment there may be seizures or severe diarrhea. Infants born to mothers who are heavy drinkers who have the classic phenotype of babies with fetal alcohol syndrome, also showed significant symptoms including seizures, apnea, abdominal distention and increased tremors and hypertonia. This study reports on 52 infants, 15 of whom were born to mothers who were moderate drinkers (greater than 1 oz. of absolute alcohol per occasion, at lease once a week) but who had stopped drinking during pregnancy. and 8 infants born to mothers who continued to drink moderately during pregnancy. There were 29 women who did not drink at all during pregnancy who were a control group. On the third day of life. a neuro-behavioral evaluation was done on the infants by an examiner who was blind as to 581